Kayla Hardie
Nov. 3rd, 2008
LEAD 201
Although there is no one definition for public policy, policy making is an integral
part of any influential system. Most people tend to think immediately of the government
when the topic arises, however policies are present in other institutions, for example in
the workplace. Company policies direct the behavior of the staff, how tasks are to be
completed, and so on. A key policy that is found in 97% of companies is that there is zero
tolerance for sexual harassment. (sexualharassmentsupport.org)
To understand the necessity for such a policy, one must realize the presence of
sexual harassment in the workplace. According to SexualHarassmentSupport.org, about
15,000 cases of sexual harassment are reported each year. Unfortunately, however, a poll
revealed that in all cases of harassment, only 38% are reported and 62% of victims take
no action. Usually, more woman are harassed (34%) than men (17%), however the
amount of men reporting sexual harassment is increasing. Women have also revealed that
43% of harassment is by a supervisor, 27% is by a superior employee and 19% by an
employee on the same level as them.
If 15,000 cases are reported each year and approximately 62% of all cases go
unheard of, that would mean that roughly 24,000 cases of sexual harassment are being
committed and no action is taking place. This is an excessive quantity, especially with
regards to what exactly constitutes sexual harassment. There are two legal definitions:
Quid pro quo and hostile environment. Quid pro quo can be summed up as “you do
something for me and I’ll do something for you.” This occurs when a supervisor tells an
employee he will give him/her a raise if they will go on a date together, for example. The
hostile environment definition states that sexual harassment is:
…when an employee is subjected to comments of a sexual nature, offensive
sexual materials, or unwelcome physical contact as a regular part of the work
environment. Generally speaking, a single isolated incident will not be
considered hostile environment harassment unless it is extremely outrageous and
egregious conduct. The courts look to see whether the conduct is both serious and
frequent. Supervisors, managers, co-workers and even customers can be
responsible for creating a hostile environment. (SexualHarassmentSupport.org)
So in order to fit the hostile environment definition, sexual harassment must be
exceptionally egregious or the harasser has to be persistent and continuously harass the
victim. These definitions are probably not widely known by victims of harassment,
especially quid pro quo, which could be the reason so many cases go unreported.
The question now is why are these events of harassment swept under the rug?
Thousands of cases go unreported each year and their must be some reasons as to why
this happens. SexualHarassmentSupport.org believes that a main reason behind this is
that victims fear being fired and harming their careers. Also, they are scared that nothing
will be done or no one will believe that the harassment occurred. Victims are often
confused, embarrassed, guilty, and in denial of what is happening. Also, “sexual
harassment actually relies on a victim's uncertainty about how to describe, and label,
what is happening to them. A rape victim knows when they have been raped, but sexual
harassment victims often do not understand what they are experiencing…”
(SexualHarassmentSupport.org/index). For male victims, they fear doubt of their
masculinity. They believe that their sexual orientation will be taken into question if the
harasser is male, or that others will wonder why they did not enjoy the sexual attention if
the harasser were to be a female.
There are a lot of theories behind why sexual harassment in the workplace takes
place. Because co-workers spend a majority of their time together, their relationships
become more intimate. They do not merely work under the same roof, but often times
collaborate together on projects, presentations and other assignments which encourages a
more personal relationship. Co-workers share a special bond as they find the need to
always support each other, but employees also look to their supervisors for guidance and
approval. This can be a reason behind why most sexual harassment cases are committed
by a supervisor. The superior knows they have power and boundaries are crossed because
of this. Sexual Harassment also occurs more in professions where women are considered
lower than men. For example, blue and white collar jobs in which men predominate tend
to provide more harassment cases than other, stricter workplaces. As well, occupations
that have a more comfortable sexual nature tend to produce more events of sexual
harassment. Such professions could include anything in the sex industry where the
concept of sex is spoken about liberally. Women in these workplaces are three to seven
times more susceptible to sexual harassment. (SexualHarassmentSupport.org)
Because of the affects sexual harassment can have, many employers can be held
liable for certain situations. If harassment is committed by a supervisor and results in the
employee being either fired, demoted, etc., then the company can be held liable as long as
they did not provide any preventive measures. If the harassment is committed by an
employee at the same level as the victim, then employers are only responsible if the
situation was made aware to them. (SexualHarassmentSupport.org). Because businesses
can potentially suffer from claims made against them, it is in their best interest to fully
enforce the company’s sexual harassment policy. As well, they should educate their
employees on how to properly handle the situation so that no legal action against them
needs to take place.
Through class discussion and readings by Thomas Birkland, it is safe to say we
have learned that interest groups have a strong influence on the effectiveness of policies
and policy making. Whether they support the issue or not, interest groups get the policy
heard. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a huge concern, and one of the main groups
behind enforcing the policy is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The EEOC is where complaints and reports of sexual harassment are sent and filed. Other
groups that strive to increase awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace are Equal
Rights Advocates (ERA), American Association of University Women, Amnesty
International, SESAME, and The Gender Public Policy Coalition, to name a few.
Because there is no one definition of public policy, it is hard for some to get a
grasp on what exactly a policy is. The best way for me to understand policy and policy
making is to look at it in regards to businesses and companies. By following company
policies, one is in essence following their respective rules or laws. A policy is put in place
to monitor the actions of employees and consumers and the way business is handled. The
Sexual Harassment policy enforced by 97% of companies states that there is zero
tolerance for such behavior. This is a very important policy in which all employers
should educate their staff. Most cases of sexual harassment go undocumented thus the
offender most likely will continue their actions and on other victims. Because many are
unaware of what constitutes harassment, they may not realize the severity of their
situation. The interest groups in support of fighting sexual harassment in the workplace
provide information, statistics, reasons, stories, support groups and anything a victim
needs to learn more about their problem. Sexual harassment is not an issue that is to be
taken lightly and imposing such policies will only help in the future to prevent these
cases from happening.
Works Cited

“Sexual Harassment Support.” 2006. http://www.sexualharassmentsupport.org/
SHworkplace.html

“Sexual Harassment Support.” 2008. http://www.sexualharassmentsupport.org/
index.html