Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace for Illinois Professionals, 2nd Edition _ _________________
• Hyperarousal: Hyperarousal is a feeling of being on edge or alert to danger all the time. Persons in a state of hyperarousal have difficulty sleeping, are easily startled, and are prone to abrupt emotional outbursts. Additional mental health problems associated with sexual harassment Several additional problems can occur as a result of sexual harassment including: • Self-harm: Self-harm is the deliberate harming of oneself or self-injury that occurs when a person inflicts physical harm on herself. • Sexually transmitted infections (STIs): If the harassment includes physical contact, bacterial or viral STIs may be transmitted through vaginal, anal, or oral contact. Pregnancy may also be a concern if the harassment includes sexual activity. • Substance abuse: Persons who have been sexually harassed may seek ways to feel better and escape dealing with the stress and impact of the trauma. • Dissociation: Dissociation is detachment from reality and can range from mild—for example, daydreaming—to severe when it becomes chronic and makes it difficult to function at work, at home, or in social situations. • Eating disorders: Disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder may develop. Some survivors of sexual harassment use food to establish control over their lives and deal with trauma. Warning signs of eating disorders include dramatic weight gain or loss; preoccupation with food, calories, and dieting; frequent trips to the bathroom to purge food that has been eaten; and refusing to eat out. • Sleep disorders: Symptoms of sleep disorders include sleeping too much or too little, or difficulty hastening or maintaining sleep. Proper rest is essential for good health. Evaluation of sleep and rest should be part of the interventions for persons who have been sexually harassed. • Suicide: As previously noted, persons who have experienced trauma and suffer from depression or PTSD are at risk for suicide. Sexual harassment survivors should be evaluated for suicidal ideation.
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. • 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 To prevent sexual harassment at work, the climate of the culture must change to not allow the behavior, including lead- ers 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.
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