Sexual Harassment: Legal, Ethical, and Policy Considerations

This report is a reflection on the legal, ethical, and policy issues surrounding sexual harassment, with a specific focus on its impact within the tourism and hospitality sector. The author explores various facets of sexual harassment, including its prevalence, the vulnerability of workers in the industry, and the legal frameworks designed to address it. The report examines the role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines, the influence of differing perceptions between genders, and the challenges of identifying and preventing harassment in the workplace. Furthermore, it delves into the ethical considerations, the importance of awareness and education, and the impact of social and cultural factors. The report also analyzes the group dynamics experienced during a collaborative presentation on the topic, detailing the division of labor, decision-making processes, and the individual contributions of each team member. The author highlights the learning experience gained from the project, including enhanced academic writing skills, teamwork, and the use of presentation tools. The report concludes with a call for increased awareness and education to combat sexual harassment, emphasizing the need for effective policies and ethical practices within organizations.

Running head: Legal, Ethical and Policy Directions in Human Science
Legal, Ethical and Policy Directions in Human Science
Task 3: Individual Reflection Report

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Sexual harassment is referred to an unwelcome sexual request, advances and other
physical or verbal conduct which are sexual in nature, and they are conducted with a
purpose of violating the dignity of an individual by creating a hostile, humiliating, offensive
or degrading environment (McLaughlin, Uggen & Blackstone, 2012). I have realised the
negative impact of sexual harassment and how it is affecting individuals while preparing a
presentation on the topic with three other students. During our presentation, we conducted
thorough research on the topic to find out various aspects relating to sexual harassment
which include how it is affecting tourism and hospitability industry, morals and ethical
consideration relating to the issue, case studies, liability, awareness, education, and others. I
have realised that this is a major issue which is affecting many individuals and it is important
that appropriate actions are taken to address these issues. In this reflection, an evaluation
of the significant legal, ethical and policy issues related to sexual harassment will be
discussed. Furthermore, this reflection will focus on evaluating insight into group
functioning to determine how decisions were taken, group position and contribution of each
individual in the learning process.
While preparing for the presentation, I learned about various factors of sexual
harassments. Firstly, it is a multi-faceted phenomenon which is affecting a large number of
people across the globe. Both men and women are affected by sexual harassment; however,
usually, the victims are women. This issue is affecting people in all positions irrespective of
the fact whether they are in a senior managerial position or a lower level employee. The
issue of sexual harassment also includes indirect harassment which is difficult to report by
the victims. I found out that the tourism and hospitality industry has the highest number of
sexual harassment incidents than compared to other sectors as per the study of the
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the International Labour Office (Hoel
and Einarsen, 2003). Even after increasing the awareness regarding this issue at a global
stage, the number of incidents involving sexual harassment is increasing rapidly. The main
reason for high number of sexual harassment cases in tourism and hospitality sector is that
most people working in the industry belong from vulnerable groups of workers, women,
part-time employees and others who are unable to address this issue (Baum, 2013).

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I have also found the action which should be taken by the victim in case of this issue.
As per the guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the victims
must directly inform the harasser to stop his/her misbehaviour. The victim can also use an
employer complaint mechanism which is available in the organisation in order to file a
complaint against the harasser. One of the key reasons for sexual harassment at the
workplace is mismatch in perceptions because male and female have different perspective.
The friendly nature of a female can be considered as a sexual cue by the male. On the other
hand, females have a broader definition of sexual harassment than compared to men
(O'Leary-Kelly & Bowes-Sperry, 2001). In workplaces, identifying and preventing sexual
harassment is not an easy task and many times, sexism is disguised in humour which allows
perpetrators to bypass the ethical guidelines established in the corporation for avoiding
sexual harassment. Avoidance/denial is another key factor based on which the victim did
not file a complaint against the sexual harassment which gives the confidence to the
harasser. The statistics show that 80 percent of female student doctor face sexual
harassment and over half of these incidents happen during the patient visit (White, 2000). I
have realised that sexual harassment is affecting my many social and cultural factors as well
because in most cases gender of parties defines their power, and this perception leads to
harassment of female or employees who belong from minorities (Ineson, Yap & Whiting,
2013). In gender oriented sexual harassment cases, it is clearly shown female colleagues are
more likely to face the issue of sexual harassment due to male dominance work culture
which makes it difficult for them to report this issue as well.
During my research, I have evaluated various legal, ethical and policy related issues
relating to sexual harassment in the tourism and hospitality sector. Firstly, in legal
consideration, it is seen that the majority of sexual harassment victims are females, and the
laws are implemented by considered this factor (Ram, 2018). The legal regulations
implemented to prevent sexual harassment prohibit all forms and types of sexual
harassment. In the case of Australia, the Federal and State discrimination statutes are
focused on explicitly treating sexual harassment as a factor based on which the
management cannot discriminate between employees. During my research, I realised that
the victims of sexual harassment cases have to face discrimination in the workplace as well.

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Moreover, Sex Discrimination Act 1984 is a good example which provides provisions to
prohibit discrimination between employees based on sexual orientation. Even with different
legislation implemented by governments all across the globe, the issue of sexual harassment
prevails, and it has become a key factor which affects employees in the tourism and
hospitality sector. This is a social issue which is affecting a large number of people and
implementation of effective, ethical policies which assist organisations in removing this issue
from their workplace (Kensbock, Bailey, Jennings & Patiar, 2015). The corporations should
notify their employees regarding their legal rights, and they should train individuals
regarding ethical practices which will enable them to address this issue clearly. A policy
should be adopted by corporations to remove sexual harassment issue by educating
employees regarding their rights and eliminating discrimination from the workplace based
on sexual orientation. In the research, we concluded that there is no simple solution to the
issue of sexual harassment and in order to address this issue, they have to educate
themselves to fight this issue. Spreading awareness regarding this issue and educating
people about their rights will assist in slowing reducing the issue of sexual harassment in
tourism and hospitality sector.
Effective understanding of group dynamics is crucial while working as a team with
other individuals on a project to ensure that the parties achieve the objectives without any
issues (Levi, 2015). In our case, we were four members, and we decided to clearly distribute
the work and responsibility between each other. Each member was given different role in
the assignment based on which such person has to conduct his/her own research and
provide the results. The dividing of work enables us to take appropriate decisions without
any conflict because we knew our roles and responsibilities in the workplace. While taking
decisions, we discuss the issue with each other and clearly define it to other members. Each
member was given time to make their contribution in the issue so that others are able to
understand their perspective. In case it becomes difficult for us to make a decision, then we
decide to do vote and majority of votes win the arguments. In case of a tie, we further
discuss the issue to find a mutual solution. I realised that working on this project was a
major learning experience for me because I learned how to work in a team collaboratively.
Since the position of each member was clearly defined in the group, it was easy for us to

Legal, Ethical and Policy Directions in Human Science 4
complete the project without the deadline. We also shared our personal views and incidents
in which we witness sexual harassment cases and what actions were taken by the parties in
those cases.
The contribution of each member was equal in the preparation of the project. Since
the role of each member was defined clearly, we did not face any disputes during the
process. It was a great learning process because I learned a lot from my fellow students who
also worked on this topic as well. We all contributed our ideas regarding how to address the
issue of sexual harassment in the tourism and hospitality industry. All of us were shocked by
the statistics which we found because we were not aware that this is a major issue which is
affecting many people across the globe. During this process, I also improved my knowledge
about how to use Microsoft Word and PowerPoint while preparing the assignment. I also
improved my academic writing skills by critically analysing the data and resources before
making my opinion about the issue. I read many books and articles while preparing this
project along with my fellow teammates. Conclusively, this project was a great learning
experience for me, and I learned how to work as a team member while avoiding conflicts
and other crucial skills which are important for a student such as academic writing, use of
presentation tools, teamwork and others.

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References
Baum, T. (2013). International Perspectives on Women and Work in Hotels, Catering and
Tourism, International Labour Organisation, Geneva. Retrieved from
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@gender/documents/
publication/wcms_209867.pdf
Hoel, H. & Einarsen, S. (2003). Violence at Work in Hotels, Catering and Tourism,
International Labour Organisation, Geneva. Retrieved from
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_dialogue/@sector/documents/
publication/wcms_161998.pdf
Ineson, E. M., Yap, M. H., & Whiting, G. (2013). Sexual discrimination and harassment in the
hospitality industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 35, 1-9.
Kensbock, S., Bailey, J., Jennings, G., & Patiar, A. (2015). Sexual harassment of women
working as room attendants within 5‐star hotels. Gender, Work &
Organization, 22(1), 36-50.
Levi, D. (2015). Group dynamics for teams. California: Sage Publications.
McLaughlin, H., Uggen, C., & Blackstone, A. (2012). Sexual harassment, workplace authority,
and the paradox of power. American sociological review, 77(4), 625-647.
O'Leary-Kelly, A. M., & Bowes-Sperry, L. (2001). Sexual harassment as unethical behavior:
The role of moral intensity. Human Resource Management Review, 11(1-2), 73-92.
Ram, Y. (2018). Hostility or hospitality? A review on violence, bullying and sexual
harassment in the tourism and hospitality industry. Current Issues in Tourism, 21(7),
760-774.
White, G. E. (2000). Sexual harassment during medical training: the perceptions of medical
students at a university medical school in Australia. Medical education, 34(12), 980-
986.

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