While most people believe that they know what sexual harassment is, many don’t truly comprehend how far the problem extends. Sexual harassment occurs anytime conduct of a sexual nature interferes with the work performance of others, or creates an intimidating, hostile work environment.
This means that it is not just something a man does to a woman, as perpetrators can be of either sex, as can the victims, and they can be of the same or opposite sex to each other.
It is not just a boss vs. employee situation, as perpetrators can also be clients, customers, and agents of the company.
It is not only about unwanted sexual advances, as inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature can include things like language, jokes and nicknames, and the victims can be anyone working in the intimidating environment created, even if they aren’t the direct targets.
Given the broad reach of the problem, it’s no surprise that companies have taken a broad swath of approaches aimed at fixing it. Volumes of policy have been written, countless hours and millions of dollars have been spent on training and retraining, and one of the common measurements is how much money is being saved by preventing litigation. The problem with much of this is that it focuses on avoiding situations as opposed to correcting actual mindsets, and often ends up creating more hostility and intimidation, rather than less. In the end, the company still suffers financially through loss of employee morale, creativity, efficiency, and retention.
We believe that a more effective approach to this problem is one of shifting culture through empowering people, and this is best done through increasing individual levels of self -confidence. Confident employees are less likely to be singled out as potential victims, and most perpetrators of this type of behavior do so out of a need to boost their confidence at the expense of others. More importantly, not only will a more confident workforce resist the growth of these bad behaviors, it will promote the growth of creativity, employee retention, efficiency, and ultimately, profitability.
If you’d like to find out more about having an Empowered Workplace workshop at your office, drop us an email, or fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch!