● Suicide: As previously noted, persons who have experienced trauma and suffer from depression or PTSD are at risk for Impact of Sexual Harassment of Women on Work and Career In addition to mental and physical health, sexual harassment also potentially impacts a women’s experience of work and career, including (Cortina & Areguin, 2021): ● Reduction in job satisfaction ● Organizational withdrawal (absenteeism, tardiness, neglect of assignments) ● Decrease in organizational commitment
suicide. Sexual harassment survivors should be evaluated for suicidal ideation.
● Contemplation of leaving job ● Reduction in performance ● Increase in cognitive interference (e.g., difficulty concentrating) ● Increase in job stress ● Increase in team conflict
WAYS TO PREVENT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE
● Monitor the workplace for signs of sexual harassment. ● Hire diverse people to balance power dynamics. Diversity helps to provide varying perspectives, views, and solutions. ● Talk to mental health experts for additional educational needs. It is not enough to have policies in place. The organization’s culture must be such that employees know what sexual harassment is, that it is not tolerated, how to report it, and the consequences of being a harasser. Employees must see that leadership is committed to preventing sexual harassment. Most experts emphasize establishing and consistently implementing a zero-tolerance harassment policy. Any policy must be written in conjunction with Illinois legislative mandates. Remember that a zero-tolerance harassment policy should, at a minimum, adhere to state mandates and include the following (Bautista, 2022). ● A definition of sexual harassment ● A harassment prohibition statement emphasizing zero tolerance for such harassment
To prevent sexual harassment at work, the climate of the culture must change to not allow the behavior, including leaders who model appropriate behavior and employees who are empowered to speak up for themselves and their work group (Bautista, 2022; Penn State Leadership, 2021). Employees must be allowed and encouraged to talk about it in a nonpunitive way, perhaps by calling coworkers “in” with self-processing “I feel” statements and education rather than calling “out” with anger or fear. Leadership must make it clear that their organizations have zero tolerance for sexual harassment. Jones (2023) offers the following eight ways for leadership to support victims of sexual harassment and to prevent its occurrence. ● Establish a clearly understood policy regarding sexual harassment. This policy defines sexual harassment, emphasizes zero tolerance for sexual harassment, identifies disciplinary actions against perpetrators, and explains how complaints should be handled. ● Provide accessible mental health resources to employees. ● Take all complaints seriously and provide support to victims. ● Provide mandatory education regarding sexual harassment semiannually. Bring in experts to provide education. ● Train supervisors and managers on how to handle sexual harassment complaints. Sexual harassment is a civil rights violation that creates a hostile environment for employees and will not be tolerated in Illinois. Sexual harassment puts at risk an individual’s physical and mental health, as well as their financial well-being, livelihood, and References American Association of University Women (AAUW). (n.d.). Be an upstander, not a bystander. https://www.aauw.org/resources/article/bystanders-and-allies/ American Psychological Association. (2018, November 1). Stress effects on the body. https:// www.apa.org/topics/stress/body Androphy, J., Grier, R., & Ghosh, N. (n.d.). Illinois Whistleblower Reward and Protection Act. Berg & Androphy. https://www.bafirm.com/publication/illinois-whistleblower-reward-and- protection-act/ Bautista, A. (2022). State of Illinois sexual harassment prevention training version 2.0. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2022, June 28). Suicide data and statistics: Suicide. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/suicide-data-statistics.html Chawla, N., Gabriel, A. S., O’Leary Kelly, A., & Rosen, C. C. (2021). From #MeToo to #TimesUp: Identifying next steps in sexual harassment research in the organizational sciences. Journal of Management, 47(3); pp. 551-566. https://doi. org/10.1177/0149206320980518 Cortina, L. M., & Areguin, M. A. (2021). Putting people down and pushing them out: Sexual harassment in the workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 8(1); pp. 285-309. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev- orgpsych-012420-055606 Dowell, E. (2022, January 27). United States Census Bureau: Women consistently earn less than men. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/01/gender-pay-gap- widens-as-women-age.html Dueweke, A. R., & Bridges, A. J. (2018). Suicide interventions in primary care: A selective review of the evidence. Families, Systems & Health: The Journal of Collaborative Family Healthcare, 36(3), 289-302. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000349 Edison Research. (2018, June 20). Sexual harassment in the workplace, 2018. Edison Research. https://www.edisonresearch.com/sexualharassmentworkplace/ Enright, M. (2020, September 9). Identifying and preventing harassment in your workplace. Wolters Kluwer. https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/identifying-and- preventing-harassment-in-your-workplace Farley, L. (1978). Sexual shakedown: The sexual harassment of women on the job. McGraw- Hill. Harvard Health. (2022, August 25). The impact of stress on your gut. https://www.health. harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the-impact-of-stress-on-your-gut Harvard Health. (2020, July 6). Understanding the stress response. https://www.health. harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. (2023). Professions and Industries Regulated by IDFPR. Social Worker. https://idfpr.illinois.gov/profs/socialworker. html Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). (2023a). Employment charge information. https://dhr.illinois.gov/filing-a-charge/employment.html Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). (2023b). Filing a charge. https://dhr.illinois.gov/ filing-a-charge/faq-section-iv.html Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). (2023c). Legal Protections. https://shdh.illinois. gov/legal-protections.html
● A description of the complaint procedure ● A description of disciplinary measures ● A statement of protection against retaliation
CONCLUSION
career trajectory. All employees, regardless of status, must be trained and challenged to create a system that does not allow harassment while supporting those who experience it.
Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). (2023d). Reporting. https://shdh.illinois.gov/ reporting.html Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). (2023e). Public contracts - Required sexual harassment https://dhr.illinois.gov/public-contracts/sexual-harassment-model-policy. html#:~:text=Illinois%20law%20requires%20all%20parties,value%20of%20any%20 public%20contract. Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). (2023f). State of Illinois sexual harassment & discrimination: Definitions. https://shdh.illinois.gov/definitions.html Illinois Department of Human Rights. (2022). State of Illinois sexual harassment prevention training. https://dhr.illinois.gov/training/state-of-illinois-sexual-harassment-prevention- training-model.html Illinois General Assembly. (2008). 740 ILCS 174/1 Whistleblower Act. https://www.ilga.gov/ legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2495 Illinois General Assembly. (2019). Full Text of Public Act 100-0762. https://www.ilga.gov/ legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=100-0762&GA=100 Jones, M. (2023). 8 ways for leadership to support victims of sexual harassment in the workplace: Don't be satisfied with a conversation--support and advocate for victims. Inc. Newsletter. https://www.inc.com/matthew-jones/its-time-for-your-business-to-discuss- sexual-harassment-and-then-do-something-about-it.html Kennedy, S. H. (2022). Core symptoms of major depressive disorder: Relevance to diagnosis and treatment. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 10(3); pp. 271-277. https://doi. org/10.31887/DCNS.2008.10.3/shkennedy Kessler-Harris, A. (2018, March 23). The long history of workplace sexual harassment. https://jacobin.com/2018/03/metoo-workplace-discrimination-sexual-harassment-feminism Lawn, R. B., Nishimi, K. M., Sumner, J. A., Chibnik, L. B., Roberts, A. L., Kubzansky, L. D., Rich‐Edwards, J. W., Koenen, K. C., & Thurston, R. C. (2022). Sexual violence and risk of hypertension in women in the Nurses’ Health Study II: A 7‐year prospective analysis. Journal of the American Heart Association, 11(5); e023015. https://doi.org/10.1161/ JAHA.121.023015 Leung, R., & Williams, R. (2019). #MeToo and intersectionality: An examination of the #MeToo movement through the R. Kelly scandal. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 43(4); pp. 349-371. https://doi.org/10.1177/0196859919874138 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (2022, May). Post-traumatic stress disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd National Whistleblower Center. (n.d.). What is a whistleblower? https://www.whistleblowers. org/what-is-a-whistleblower/ Office of Enterprise Data and Analytics (OEDA). (2022, April). Sexual harassment in our nation’s workplaces. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. https://www.eeoc. gov/data/sexual-harassment-our-nations-workplaces Office of Inspector General State of Illinois. (n.d.-a). Complaint process. https://oeig.illinois. gov/complaints/process.html Office of Inspector General State of Illinois. (n.d.-b). Retaliatory action. https://oeig.illinois. gov/complaints/whistleblower.html
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