Harassment in the Workplace

This article discusses the issue of workplace harassment, its impact, and ways to address and prevent it. It highlights the need for a supportive work culture and the importance of reporting incidents. The article emphasizes the responsibility of every member of society to eliminate workplace harassment.

Running head: HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE
HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Assessment 2...................................................................................................................................2
Introduction:................................................................................................................................2
Argument:....................................................................................................................................2
Concept:.......................................................................................................................................2
Prevention:...................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion:..................................................................................................................................4
References:..................................................................................................................................5
Assessment 3...................................................................................................................................6
Introduction:................................................................................................................................6
The reason responsibility is not being realized............................................................................6
Ways to address harassment in workplace..................................................................................7
Conclusion:..................................................................................................................................9
References:................................................................................................................................10

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Assessment 2
Introduction:
The issue of workplace harassment has become too familiar to discuss however it still
remains one of the major problems. According to a survey conducted by Australia’s peak union
body, almost 61% of women and 35% of men have experienced sexual harassment at work
(Carroll, & Buchholtz, 2014). People across the globe are dealing with it uncomfortably,
hesitantly and even suffering with a great deal of impact. The article highlights the significant
issue, harassment in the workplace that is either generalized in many workplaces or taken for
granted.
Argument:
The awareness has increased to a great extent, and the judiciary systems of different
countries have passed bills on the same aspect turning them to laws in their constitutions. A
section of society who tend to believe that equality between men and women have successfully
pushed the problem on the verge of disappearance (Branch, Ramsay & Barker, 2013). It would
be important to mention that there is no doubt about the growing awareness however, there is no
assurance that it has reduced harassment in the workplace. The important factor is that it is the
common good that people fail to realize. Common goods are only the fundamental rights and
wrong and there is no reason for not fighting for it. People let it sink and not value it which is
leading to never ending of this particular issue.
Concept:
Workplace harassment is one of the forms of discrimination tend to violate federal
regulations regarding employment. According to The Equal Employment Opportunity

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Commission, harassment is recognized as an unwelcome verbal or physical behavior based on an
individual’s race, religion, color, sex, gender, nationality, gender identity, age, physical or mental
disability or even genetic information (Sadruddin, 2013). Therefore, any act is unwelcomed and
make an individual uncomfortable in the workplace is considered harassment. Harassment
becomes unlawful when it is offensive and severe enough that it makes a person consider their
workplace intermediating. The main complication with harassment is that there is no signature
gesture or boundaries. There are no particular ways of identifying harassment since it is
depended explicitly on the individual. The reason it is hard to identify is for it can be carried out
in different processes. Sexual harassment, offensive jokes, intimidation, offensive picture, assault
and ridicules are some of the examples harassment in the workplace (Salin & Hoel, 2013). The
harassments can be categorized into physical abuse, emotional abuse, and financial abuse. It is
not at all beneficial for all and it can cause an increased amount of stress in the workplace and
loss of focus from the tasks assigned in as per the job role. A person can seek help when faced
with harassment in work however not everyone is able to take the step. People often think that
the impact of taking action or seeking help might lead to losing their job or facing more internal
conflicts (Fnais et al., 2014).
Prevention:
The harassment in work is not a new phenomenon as discussed before, and people are
strongly coming out in the open to raising their voice against it since the common good is a
deliberate process and not a content. In any workplace setting, employees must meet a stand of
behavior from the perspective of law. It is not adequate enough to post an anti-harassment
policy, and employers need to consider the policy as one of the major priority. Workplace
policies need to include safety policies from harassment along with other significant aspects

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defining clearly the inappropriate actions, behaviors, and communication. Once a harassment
report is made to the supervisor, the employer must take serious action against it. Although the
anti-harassment policy is the legitimate process, there should be a sense of support from the
entire workplace. The feeling of support is gained when an employee can trust the other
employees regarding decisions. Also, a healthy environment can be created by giving extra focus
on the employee’s behavior.
Conclusion:
Under the various health and safety laws across the world, workplace harassment has
been considered as one of the significant psychological hazards. The entire aspect has been
gaining interest among researchers, and more actions are being taken. However, what is needed
most is the behavioral change and change in the mindset of people harassing their colleagues,
subordinates or supervisors. Stricter laws and rules are necessary in order to assure workers that
they are secured. However, harassment will only be eliminated from society once it considered
by every member of society the way a victim of workplace harassment perceives it.

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References:
Branch, S., Ramsay, S., & Barker, M. (2013). Workplace bullying, mobbing and general
harassment: A review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15(3), 280-299.
Carroll, A., & Buchholtz, A. (2014). Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder
management. Nelson Education.
Fnais, N., Soobiah, C., Chen, M. H., Lillie, E., Perrier, L., Tashkhandi, M., ... & Tricco, A. C.
(2014). Harassment and discrimination in medical training: a systematic review and
meta-analysis. Academic Medicine, 89(5), 817-827.
Sadruddin, M. M. (2013). Sexual Harassment at Workplace in Pakistan-Issues and Remedies
about the Global Issue at Managerial Sector. Journal of Managerial Sciences, 7(1).
Salin, D., & Hoel, H. (2013). Workplace bullying as a gendered phenomenon. Journal of
Managerial Psychology, 28(3), 235-251.

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Assessment 3
Introduction:
Workplace harassment is an unwelcomed act that is often received from coworkers, boss,
supervisors, and customers or even from vendors. These are the acts of mocking, disparages and
ridiculing any employee. Usually, on the greater extent, the action can take the position of
physical assault, threats, and intimidations that are considered extremely severe (Okechukwu et
al. 2014). These can cause mental and health issue to the person facing the workplace
harassment. The issue is not limited to one particular place or region (Emdad et al., 2013).
Although it is mostly women experiencing workplace harassment most, there are men as well
who tend to face the same. Therefore, there is a growing discussion on the issue and people
across the globe are making an effort to eliminate the social aspect of society. The paper
discusses in details the reason workplace harassment is a significant problem and why it is not
recognized even though it is a global issue. The article also aims to enlist ways that could be
used in order to address the challenge.
The reason responsibility for the common good is not being realized
The problem still remains in many workplaces creating different obstacles for people
around the world. The reasons that make workplace harassment can be many involving majorly
people’s attitude towards the issue (Khubchandani & Price, 2015). The existence of common
good without deliberation and confrontation is not possible. Also it is a source of the state’s
legitimacy. Bullying and harassment in the corporate office, schools, and various institutions
may occur if the workplaces do not take responsibility for the employees. Poor job design or
work relationship may lead to these kinds of injustices in the workplace. Lack of accountability

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of the people causing harassment to higher authority encourages these sorts of activities to a
greater extent (Boddy, 2014). When the existence of a specific culture is present in the
workplace, employees tend to take advantage of the situation. An overly competitive
environment in the workplace may lead the powerful positions to use harassment in order to
suppress the potent subordinates. In some cases, the situation could be otherwise where the
senior is harassed by the subordinates to create obstacle from performing better in the workplace.
A rigid style of management can also cause harassment involving the existence of redundancy
fear (Adams, 2014). People fail to realize that common goods are the goods that everybody can
enjoy without any privilege being an obligation in order to distribute it in an equitably way. A
lack of procedure for resolving issues related to harassment makes the entire culture of the
workplace promote workplace harassment. Lastly and most importantly, it is the abuse of power
where the higher positions misuse their power presuming it as an act that is inevitable and
unnoticed. It is essential to understand the reason if there are occurrences of workplace
harassment in the organization.
Ways responsibility for the common good is can be realized
Many things are considered when a harassment case is brought in front in court or to the
governmental agency. However, the first step should be raising voice against it by the victim as
well as the witnesses of the act. A person facing such challenges much is able to tell the harasser
to stop. The need for fighting for the common goods are essential in order to experience healthy
workplace environment. In any situation where one feels uncomfortable or unsafe, it is most
important to clearly state or says to the harasser that the offensive behavior performed is
unwelcomed. On the further performance of similar action, the report of the harassment is
essential to management. It is a necessary step for the administration to consider the complaint

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and look into the matter (Fox, & Cowan, 2015). The decision making authority should be made
aware of such behavior occurring in the organization along with pieces of evidence or witness if
there is any. The complainer must also need to make it clear that the complaint has been
recorded. For cases where the work culture promotes such behavior, or the harasser is the
supreme power of the organization, the matter needs to be taken to the legal organizations. Laws
against workplace harassment are present across the globe, and the victim should approach the
legal help if required without any feelings of fear.
The above mentioned method was the way one can seek help, however it not always as
simple as making the complaint. People faced with harassment are faced with difficult situations
that compel them to think twice before sharing the event keeping far the act of reporting.
Although the number of victims is stepping forwards, almost three-quarter of the people facing
workplace harassment fails to report the misconduct. When researched and taken survey three of
the profound reasons were the fear of not being believed, the fear of losing a job and taking the
matter lightly in order to avoid the more significant consequences (Klein, 2017).
The first reason of not being believed is one of the main issues that prevent victims from
seeking help (Andrews & Bonta, 2014). Surrounding people in order to avoid getting indulged
either ignores the act while happening or tend to lie. It is essential to understand that someone
facing such a situation is already prone to trauma, anxiety, depression, and stress. Emotional and
motivational support is highly needed in order to overcome the problem.
More than anything, it is important to realize that more than rights, every person needs to
perform certain individual and collective duties as well as social function to comply. These are
the duties for common good. It is a problem that occurs in between everyone and yet goes
without officially reported and without any action taken. Each member needs to abide by the

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rules and conduct followed by the responsibility of supporting a victim, specifically when
witnessed. Workforce harassment can be avoided when the employee makes full uses of the
resources. Just having equal rights policy is not adequate, an equal employment opportunity
officer hiring can be a useful way of securing the workplace. Reporting is the first immediate
step any victim should do after any instance of harassment. It is crucial that the employer knows
about the bullying in order to be responsible legally. Approaching human resource, supervisor or
any person who is designated to deal with harassment should be the immediate action. For
instances where the victim is not only one member, banding with co-workers would be an
appropriate action. Also, keeping proper track of dates is a necessary task when the matter
reaches to a legal organization. The employees should be supportive and helpful providing
courage.
Conclusion:
The central part is to create a culture that would be free from harassment. Since it is not
only women but also men, it is only through supporting each other the issue of bullying in the
workforce can be reduced. Harassment will only be eliminated from society once it considered
by every member of society the way a victim of workplace harassment perceives it. Although the
anti-harassment policy is the legitimate process, there should be a sense of support from the
entire workplace

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References:
Adams, A. (2014). Bullying at work: How to confront and overcome it. Virago.
Andrews, D. A., & Bonta, J. (2014). The psychology of criminal conduct. Routledge.
Boddy, C. R. (2014). Corporate psychopaths, conflict, employee affective well-being and
counterproductive work behaviour. Journal of Business Ethics, 121(1), 107-121.
Emdad, R., Alipour, A., Hagberg, J., & Jensen, I. B. (2013). The impact of bystanding to
workplace bullying on symptoms of depression among women and men in industry in
Sweden: an empirical and theoretical longitudinal study. International archives of
occupational and environmental health, 86(6), 709-716.
Fox, S., & Cowan, R. L. (2015). Revision of the workplace bullying checklist: the importance of
human resource management's role in defining and addressing workplace bullying.
Human Resource Management Journal, 25(1), 116-130.
Khubchandani, J., & Price, J. H. (2015). Workplace harassment and morbidity among US adults:
results from the National Health Interview Survey. Journal of community health, 40(3),
555-563.
Klein, G. A. (2017). Sources of power: How people make decisions. MIT press.
Okechukwu, C. A., Souza, K., Davis, K. D., & de Castro, A. B. (2014). Discrimination,
harassment, abuse, and bullying in the workplace: Contribution of workplace injustice to
occupational health disparities. American journal of industrial medicine, 57(5), 573-586.