Sexual Harassment Is Still a Management Issue
by Barbara Orser
Gender Diversity Tool Kit
Resource No. 1
About The Conference Board of Canada
The Conference Board of Canada is an independent, not-for-profit research organization
with affiliates in the United States and Europe. Our mission is to help our members anticipate
and respond to the increasingly changing global economy. We do this through the development
and exchange of knowledge about organizational strategies and practices, emerging economic
and social trends and key public policy issues. Since 1954, the Board has been committed to
researching innovative practices, designing new strategies and providing our members with the
most up-to-date information, analysis and expertise to help them excel in Canada and around
the world.
About The Centre of Excellence for Women’s Advancement
The Centre of Excellence for Women’s Advancement, a unit within the Conference Board’s
Centre for Management Effectiveness, carries out applied research on specific key questions
relating to the retention, development and advancement of women in Canadian organizations.
Based on the research, the Centre is developing practical and timely learning and development
strategies to help organizations fully access, develop and utilize the skills and resources they
have available to them. The Centre is involved in planning symposia and executive briefings
and developing a public, biannual report card on women’s progress in leadership positions in
Canadian organizations. It is funded by some of Canada’s leading private and public sector
organizations.
Editing Laurie Bowes • Design Holly W. Michael
Recycled paper
©2001 The Conference Board of Canada*
Sexual Harassment Is Still a Management Issue
Gender Diversity Tool Kit—Resource No. 1
Printed in Canada • All rights reserved • ISBN 0-88763-501-6
*Incorporated as AERIC Inc.
Contents
Why the Gender Diversity Tool Kit? ............................1
About the Research..................................................1
Sexual Harassment Is Still a Management Issue..........3
What Is Sexual Harassment?......................................3
How Does Sexual Harassment Affect Employee
Commitment and Retention? ....................................3
How Does Sexual Harassment Affect
Organizational Performance? ....................................4
Case 1: What Happens When Organizations Do
Not Respond to Sexual Harassment? ..........................5
How Prevalent Is Sexual Harassment? ........................5
Why Do Organizations Underestimate the
Prevalence and Impact of Sexual Harassment? ............6
Case 2: Best Practice Case Study—
Sears Canada Inc.’s Anti-Harassment Program ..............7
Closing the Gap Between Policy and Practice ..............8
Discouraging Sexual Harassment and Ensuring
Effective Complaint Resolution..................................8
Resources About Sexual Harassment ........................10
Tips That Organizations Can Provide to
Their Employees ....................................................10
This research was made possible with the support of charter member organizations of The Centre of
Excellence for Women’s Advancement:
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AT&T Canada Corporation
Bank of Montreal
Bell Canada and Bell ActiMedia
Canada Post Corporation
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
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Canadian Pacific Limited
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Sears Canada Inc.
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Xerox Canada Ltd.
Valuable research assistance was provided by Vanessa Anastasopoulos. The author would also like
to acknowledge charter member representatives who provided comments on an earlier version of
this report. Special thanks to Pamela Clarke (National Manager, Associate Relations, Sears Canada)
and Judith MacBride-King (Director, Centre for Management Effectiveness, The Conference Board
of Canada).
Why the Gender Diversity Tool Kit?
Recent research conducted by the Conference Board’s
Centre of Excellence for Women’s Advancement found a
significant gap between senior women managers’ and
chief executive officers’ perceptions concerning the
progress and advancement of women in Canadian organizations. Specifically, in both the private and public
sectors, women executives perceived significantly less
progress than did chief executives. Women were also
more likely to look beyond the numbers—percentage of
women in management positions—and cite issues related
to organizational culture and attitudes that stifle change.
Best-practice employers understand that fostering
workplace diversity requires proactive intervention
and concerted effort. Thus, the Gender Diversity Tool Kit
has been developed to inform executives and front-line
managers about effective practices that address barriers
to the development, retention and advancement of
Canadian women.
Managers can use the tool kit to:
• gain a better understanding of the gender barriers
faced by women;
• develop programs that foster workforce diversity;
• create measures that can be integrated into employee
performance reviews;
• communicate information about the importance of
respectful workplace relationships; and
• establish policies and practices that make employees
aware of and accountable for inappropriate behaviour
that inhibits women’s advancement.
The challenge for employers, therefore, is to address headon the perceptions of executive women that progress has
been slow. By focusing on the priorities of women managers, organizations can more effectively lever gender
diversity to enhance performance.
Those priorities that make an organization “best in class”
for Canadian women include:1
• demonstrated CEO commitment to gender diversity;
• demonstrated commitment to work–life balance;
• programs that attract and retain women at all levels
of the organization, including effective professional
development programs;
• a focus on harassment and organizational culture,
including publishing of harassment policies and monitoring of complaint resolution; and
• periodic organizational audits to assess systemic
barriers to women’s advancement, including reviews
of performance criteria and evaluations.
Sexual Harassment Is Still a Management Issue is the first
in the series of information resources that address key
issues identified by women executives as hallmarks of a
women-friendly organization. Each report in the Gender
Diversity Tool Kit presents further analysis of Conference
Board data, information from related Canadian and international studies, best practices, case studies or vignettes,
and employer tips.
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
In the fall of 1999 and winter of 2000, The Conference Board of Canada’s Centre of Excellence for Women’s
Advancement mailed an eight-page questionnaire to 2,800 chief executive officers, human resources professionals
and women executives at the level of vice-president (or equivalent title) or higher. A total of 630 executives
responded to the survey. Survey information was augmented by 94 in-depth telephone interviews with representatives from the three survey groups.
The study results were published in June 2000 in a report titled Creating High-Performance Organizations:
Leveraging Women’s Leadership. This document can be obtained from the Conference Board. The Gender
Diversity Tool Kit represents the next phase of the Centre’s research program.
1 These topics reflect the views of 393 executive women surveyed by The Conference Board of Canada. Detailed findings are contained in Creating High-Performance Organizations:
Leveraging Women’s Leadership (Ottawa: The Conference Board of Canada, June 2000).
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Sexual Harassment Is Still a Management Issue
Organizations that hope to attract and retain capable personnel must be alert to employees’ experiences and perceptions related to their workplace culture. Conference
Board research indicates that sexual harassment continues
to affect the career decisions of many Canadian women.
This report finds that while advancement opportunities
and increased compensation were the primary motives
prompting women to leave their previous employers,
the inappropriate behaviour of co-workers reinforced
the motive for many women to seek new employment
opportunities.
Criminal behaviour that moves beyond sexual harassment
(e.g., sexual touching) is sexual assault.
Examples of behaviours that have been found to constitute sexual harassment in Canadian legal cases are found
in Table 1. The list does not, however, deal with newer
forms of sexual harassment such as e-mail chat about
colleagues or anonymous e-mail messages. Corporate
guidelines that document inappropriate use of electronic
communication are one way to prevent this behaviour.
Finally, it is important to note that sexual harassment is
not only a “women’s issue.” While the vast majority of
sexual harassment occurs between female subordinates
and males, sexual harassment may occur between persons
of the same sex or between a woman boss and a male
employee. For example, the Saskatchewan Human Rights
Commission supported the complaint between a male
employee and his male supervisor alleging that the assistant was sexually harassed on the job through sexual
touching and unwanted sexual remarks.3
What Is Sexual Harassment?
Definitions of sexual harassment are confusing, often
reflecting moral and social perspectives, personal experience and “legalese.” A practical definition of sexual
harassment is “any type of unwelcome or offensive comments, conduct or gestures based on gender and sexual
orientation.”2
Behaviours that constitute sexual harassment fall on a
continuum. On one side of the continuum is behaviour
that may or may not be interpreted as sexual harassment
(e.g., sexually degrading words, gestures or jokes about
women and/or men). Further along the continuum are
behaviours and attitudes that demean or undermine an
individual or group of employees. Examples include: refusing to delegate authority and/or removal of responsibility
due to gender, a tendency to bully, overloading work or
“picking on” women employees, and setting out to make
female employees look incompetent. Inappropriate behaviour may also include unwelcome flirtation and advances
or propositions.
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Best-practice organizations ensure that all employees
are aware of the gamut of conduct that contaminates
workplace culture and those activities that constitute
inappropriate behaviour.
How Does Sexual Harassment Affect Employee Commitment
and Retention?
Many women executives and senior managers believe
that inhospitable organizational culture and harassment
impede career progress. In our recent study, for example,
one in two women executives (48 per cent) cited inhospitable organizational culture as a motive that prompted
them to leave their most recent past employer.4 What’s
An extreme form of harassment is sexual coercion (in
legal terms, “quid pro quo harassment.”) This behaviour
involves promises, subtle hints, rewards and/or the use
of threats to solicit sexual favours based on rejecting or
accepting employment, promotion or job benefits.
2 Adapted from A Workplace Based on Mutual Respect: Workplace Harassment (Sears Canada Inc., 2000). See “Resources About Sexual Harassment” on page 10 of this publication for
additional information on definitions of sexual harassment.
3 “Harassment Claims Settled,” Organizational Health & Safety Canada, March 1999.
4 Senior women managers/executives were asked to indicate the importance of a number of factors in their decision to end employment with their previous employer. The survey
included the statement: “Organizational culture was inhospitable for women.”
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TABLE 1
Behaviours Found to Constitute Sexual Harassment in Canadian Legal Cases
Behaviour
Example
Sexually degrading words or remarks
used to describe an individual or group.
A co-worker made insulting sexual jokes or remarks about women.
Inquiries/comments about an individual’s sex life
A co-worker made an employee feel uncomfortable by asking questions about the
employee’s sex life.
Sexual flirtations, advances and propositions
A co-worker repeatedly asked an employee for a date or relationship.
Demands for sexual favours
A co-worker hinted that the employee could have a better job or some other benefit in
exchange for a sexual relationship.
Verbal threats or abuse.
A co-worker hinted that the employee could lose her job or that her job situation
might be hurt if the employee did not have a sexual relationship with the abuser.
Leering
Co-worker leaned over an employee unnecessarily, got too close, and/or cornered the
employee. A co-worker consistently stared at the body of a colleague.
Unwanted gestures
A co-worker made sexually suggestive gestures in the presence of a colleague.
Display of sexually offensive material
Sexual material, such as pornography or degrading drawings of women, was
displayed in or around the workplace.
Sexual assault
Co-worker touched suggestively, intentionally brushed up against employee, patted,
hugged, pinched, kissed or grabbed the employee using physical force.
Sources: Adapted from Law Society of Upper Canada material (1991); cited by D. Crocker and V. Kalemba, “The Incidence and Impact of Women’s Experiences of Sexual
Harassment in Canadian Workplaces,” Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, vol. 36, no. 4, 1999.
more, among the 393 senior women managers/executives
surveyed, one in four (27 per cent) indicated that they had
experienced harassment or discrimination by colleague(s) or
supervisor(s) while with their previous employer.
November 2000, two hundred female technicians were
compensated for having been sexually harassed and
discriminated against in six CBS stations. Canadian
legal experts suggest that this type of class action
suit will make its way to Canada.
• Sexual harassment can dramatically affect individual
performance, morale, absenteeism and therefore organizational performance. Recent research in Canada
revealed that half of all employees who experience sexual harassment indicate that they are either hindered
in their performance or unable to do their jobs.5
Negative psychological outcomes include sleep disturbances, reduced self-esteem and life satisfaction, and
increased stress, anger, fear, depression and anxiety.6
• These overt and hidden costs have a ripple effect (and
resultant cost) that not only has an impact on the
complainant and harasser but also affects the productivity of co-workers and supervisors.
• Public awareness concerning an incident of sexual
harassment can tarnish the reputation of the organization and discourage potential job applicants.
Further analysis of the survey data found a significant
association between the prevalence of an inhospitable
organizational culture for women and an encounter with
harassment or discrimination. In other words, harassment
and discrimination are more evident in workplace cultures
that women perceive as inhospitable.
How Does Sexual Harassment Affect Organizational
Performance?
Sexual harassment is costly to the organization in a
number of ways:
• Overt costs include legal fees and settlement costs.
This is demonstrated in the U.S. $8 million damage
award paid to employees of CBS Corporation. In
5 D. Crocker and V. Kalemba, “The Incidence and Impact of Women’s Experiences of Sexual Harassment in Canadian Workplaces,” Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology,
vol. 36, no. 4, 1999.
6 Handbook of Gender & Work, Edited by G. Powell (London: Sage Publishers, 1999).
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Best-practice employers actively monitor workplace
culture and employees’ perceptions about sexual harassment.7 They are committed to creating and maintaining
a respectful workplace environment and have developed
zero tolerance approaches to sexual harassment. A starting
point is to provide all employees with a clear definition
and examples of sexual harassment.
CASE 1: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ORGANIZATIONS DO
NOT RESPOND TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT?
Early in her appointment as a member of the executive team in a
large institution, Debra became aware of hostility between several
subordinates and herself. Those who had been unsuccessful applicants for her job said publicly that her experience was inappropriate
for the position. Shortly after, she heard rumours suggesting her
appointment was predicated on a sexual relationship with her boss.
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Sexual harassment is more likely to occur in workplace environments that tolerate bullying, intimidation, yelling, innuendo and other forms of discourteous behaviour. Best-practice employers communicate
clearly and on an ongoing basis that this type of
behaviour is inappropriate for the workplace.
Rumours proliferated through e-mail chat, and comments were
made at national meetings. When Debra confronted her superior
about the situation, he suggested that the rumours reflected professional jealousy and were not worthy of a response. While she
made numerous attempts to squelch the insinuations, at no time
did her boss address the rumours or condemn those who made
remarks. Over the course of several months, Debra sensed that
he enjoyed hearing the insinuations. As time passed, she began
to feel her authority was being undermined.
How Prevalent Is Sexual Harassment?
Six months into the appointment, her boss’s marriage ended. The
event refuelled the rumour mill. Shortly afterwards, Debra’s superior
was replaced. Upon his arrival, her new boss requested Debra’s resignation. While performance was not an issue, he stated that she
did not fit in well with the new executive team. When Debra brought
her lawyer to discuss concerns about sexual harassment, the organization settled quickly to avoid public trial or publicity. Now on
leave, Debra is reluctant to return to the organization, and she is
aware that prospective employers know of her experience and that
the rumours will make it difficult to secure a similar position.
A recent study by York University researchers found that
64 per cent of working women had experienced some form
of harassment over the course of their working life; 48 per
cent had experienced sexual harassment in the previous
year!8 Table 2 provides an overview of types and incidence
rates of sexual harassment found by the York University
research team.
Given these results, it is not surprising that sexual
harassment is the most common complaint heard by
provincial human rights commissions. For example,
between 1997 and 1998, 22 per cent of complaints heard
by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission related to
sexual harassment in the workplace.9 Similarly, in 1999
the British Columbia Human Rights Commission reported
that 45 per cent of complaints filed were predicated on
sexual harassment.10
This case clearly demonstrates the high cost of not responding
seriously to an employee’s concerns. While the incident provided
the executive team with the opportunity to endorse the importance of maintaining a respectful workplace environment, the lack
of response damaged the reputation of at least one employee and
failed to inhibit the inappropriate behaviour of Debra’s subordinates.
How Might This Case Have Been Handled Differently?
Best-practice employers understand that sexual harassment can
occur at any level in the organization and all concerns should be
dealt with in a serious manner. Sexual harassment training would
have alerted the executive team to the impact of sexual harassment on an employee’s credibility and authority. Prevention is the
best tool; a quick response is the second-best strategy for dealing with innuendo. For example, Debra might have asked her
boss to meet with the senior human resources officer to discuss
the insinuations. Unfortunately, the problem was left for Debra to
deal with. A senior member of the executive team should also
have dealt immediately with the subordinates’ suggestions that
Debra was not qualified for her position. A message that their
behaviour was not professional would deter others from making
similar remarks. A memo to all employees about inappropriate
use of e-mail would have limited this type of chat.
While employers cannot and do not have the right to
ask their employees to change their personal values
and belief systems, employers should expect and require
professional behaviour from all employees while on the
7 “Best-practice employer” was defined using the criteria established by the
393 woman manager/executive survey respondents. Criteria include organizations
that monitor harassment complaint resolution and publish harassment and discrimination policies.
8 D. Crocker and V. Kalemba, “The Incidence and Impact of Women’s Experiences of
Sexual Harassment in Canadian Workplaces.”
9 “Harassment Claims Settled,” Occupational Health & Safety Canada, March 1999.
10 Moving Forward Together, British Columbia Human Rights Commission, 2000.
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TABLE 2
Types and Incidence Rates of Sexual Harassment
Previous year
(%)
Across working
life (%)
Insulting jokes about women, sexual material displayed
48
64
Man leering/getting too close, suggestive touching,
gestures, staring, force/attempted force
41
60
Insulting jokes/remarks about a person, questions
about employee’s sex life, requests for dates
30
52
Hints of job benefits in exchange for sex, threats
of job loss or job difficulties
3
10
1,990
1,990
Type of sexual harassment
Incidents included
Gender harassment
Non-verbal unwanted sexual attention
Verbal sexual attention
Sexual coercion
Number of participants
Source: D. Crocker and V. Kalemba, “The Incidence and Impact of Women’s Experiences of Sexual Harassment in Canadian Workplaces,” Canadian Review of Sociology and
Anthropology, vol. 36, no. 4, 1999, p. 547.
Low Reporting Levels
job.11 The high incidence rate of sexual harassment suggests that organizations have work to do to address this
important workplace stressor.
Formal complaints are just the tip of the iceberg. Research
has demonstrated that only a small percentage of employees officially notify managers about their concerns.
For example, while a recent Public Service of Canada survey
found that 20 per cent of federal government employees
had experienced harassment in their work unit, only about
2 per cent had launched formal harassment complaints.12
These results reflect American experience as well. One U.S.
study found that approximately half of all working women
had experienced sexual harassment. Of these, fewer than
one-quarter reported the incident to an authority and
fewer than one in ten filed a formal complaint.13
Why Do Organizations Underestimate the Prevalence and
Impact of Sexual Harassment?
One reason why sexual harassment persists is that
employers underestimate both the incidence of sexual
harassment in the workplace and its impact on organizational performance. The following four factors contribute
to employers’ misjudgement of the prevalence of sexual
harassment.
Changing Legal Guidelines
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Legal definitions of sexual harassment are evolving
with case precedents. Regardless of management’s
understanding of law or a harasser’s intent, the law
focuses on the nature of the conduct and whether the
complainant found the behaviour offensive. A manager
who does not address a complaint about sexual harassment in the workplace (regardless of the intent of the
harasser) can be held liable for the conduct of the
employee in question.
A lack of formal complaints cannot be interpreted as
an absence of problems. Potential indicators of sexual
harassment include a sudden request for a transfer,
refusal to work with a certain individual, high absenteeism and sudden changes in the quality of an
employee’s work.
11 H. Hemphill and R. Haines, Discrimination, Harassment, and the Failure of Diversity Training: What to Do Now (Connecticut: Quorum Books, 1997).
12 “Report of the COSO Sub-Committee on Workplace Well-being,” Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, 2000, http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca
13 S. Welsh and J. Gruber, “Not Taking It Any More: Women Who Report or File Complaints of Sexual Harassment,” Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, vol. 36, no. 4,
1999, pp. 558–83.
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Differences in How Organizations Track Sexual Harassment
Reluctance of Employees to Label an Incident as
Sexual Harassment
Incidence rates differ drastically in accordance with how
harassment is measured.14 Surveys that report relatively low
incidence rates (10 to 25 per cent) tend to ask employees if
they have experienced “harassment.” Studies that document
higher incidence rates (50 to 80 per cent) ask employees to
identify behaviours they have experienced personally from a
list of legally defined forms of specific unwanted behaviours.
These results indicate the need for explicit questions about
sexual harassment in employee surveys.
What one employee may consider offensive, another
may not. Many employees are not aware of behaviour that
constitutes sexual harassment. Furthermore, the majority
of workers continue to believe that sexual harassment
reflects a personal disagreement between two individuals.15 As a result, employees who experience sexual
harassment may not label their experiences as such. In
this context, sexual harassment becomes an issue related
CASE 2: BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDY—SEARS CANADA INC.’S ANTI-HARASSMENT PROGRAM
Sears Canada Inc.’s sexual harassment policies are integrated into a larger, comprehensive program titled “A Workplace Based on Mutual
Respect and Well-being.” The focus of the program is prevention and anti-harassment practices. The firm’s anti-harassment policies were
developed with both expert consultants and internal legal, public relations, security and human resources professionals.
• The policy requires all managers to undertake sensitivity and risk assessment training. In the training program, managers are informed
about types of workplace threats and harassment and about coping and response techniques for each. This includes information about the
effect of harassment on employees. Managers are also briefed about when they should call for assistance.
• Information brochures about sexual harassment are provided to all employees. Policy provisions require all employees to report all incidents.
Employees are briefed on internal complaint mechanisms and their rights to external recourse through provincial human rights commissions.
• Standardized incident forms allow management to gather information and respond in a more consistent manner. Incidence forms include a
list of workplace problems and recommended responses. Managers are required to complete an incident form for each complaint, including
details about the complaint outcome.
• Management stays involved. The executive team is briefed regularly about workplace incidents, including the number and nature of sexual
harassment complaints.
Sears’ anti-harassment policy states:
All associates (employees) are entitled to a workplace based on
mutual respect, free of harassment. All associates have a responsibility to abide by and support the Company’s workplace harassment policy. Action should be taken if you:
• feel uncomfortable or threatened in a situation because of
someone else’s comments or conduct or
• feel that another’s comments or actions toward you or another
associate are improper in a work environment.
that harassment may be occurring, Sears will conduct a thorough
investigation and evaluation of the evidence. If Sears determines
that an associate has violated this policy, the associate will be
subject to disciplinary action. This discipline will be dependent
on the severity, consequence and number of offences. This could
include:
• formal documentation of conduct, along with a written warning
to be made a part of the associate’s personal file;
• counselling;
• suspension;
• reassignment;
• termination for repeated offences;
• immediate termination for severe offences.
Sears will take all possible steps to protect associates who make a
complaint of harassment or who participate in the investigation of
a harassment complaint from reprisals.
…Consequences of engaging in harassing behaviour can be very
severe. Our policy prohibiting harassment is a “zero tolerance”
policy. If allegations are made or if the company becomes aware
No one, regardless of position, is exempt from this policy.
Source: Creating the New Sears: Workplace Harassment Manager’s Guide (Toronto: Sears Canada Inc., 2000).
14 B.J. Ebhardt, S.B. Moser and D. McFadden, “Sexual Harassment in Small Government Units: An Investigation of Policies and Attitudes,” Public Personnel Management, Fall 1989,
pp. 351–64.
15 Ibid.
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to “self-perception” rather than an objective problem.
Best-practice employers communicate sexual harassment
information to employees knowing that its negative repercussions on job performance and personal life occur
regardless of how individuals label the experience.16
Awareness training should provide the opportunity for
employees to communicate their expectations about professional behaviour, clarify assumptions about sexual
harassment, and ask questions regarding complaint procedures. A starting point is to debunk the myths and
misperceptions about sexual harassment. Several such
myths are described in Table 3.
Closing the Gap Between Policy and Practice
Most large Canadian organizations have sexual harassment
policies and complaint procedures specified in writing.
However, given the high incidence of sexual harassment,
a gap exists between policy and practice. Employers are
therefore faced with three interrelated challenges:
• To proactively deter inappropriate behaviour
• When sexual harassment occurs, to ensure effective
sexual complaint resolution
• To ascertain why sexual harassment has occurred
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Because support staff are more likely than professionals
to experience sexual harassment, training should
include discussion about the role that hierarchy and
power play in inappropriate workplace behaviour.
This is because studies have found that women
who understand the underlying structure of sexual
harassment are more likely to (a) report an incident
and (b) cope effectively.
What Are Best Practices for Preventing Sexual Harassment?
Prevention—such as anti-harassment training—is the best
tool for dealing with sexual harassment. Awareness training
provides the opportunity for employers to sensitize employees and managers about the potential impact of sexual
harassment on the individual, colleague(s) and organizational performance. It also sends a clear message about
the importance of a respectful workplace environment.
Source: S. Welsh and J. Gruber, “Not Taking It Any More.”
Discouraging Sexual Harassment and Ensuring Effective
Complaint Resolution
The following suggestions will help to prevent sexual
harassment in the workplace environment and ensure
more effective complaint resolution.17
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Employees who have experienced sexual harassment
and feel supported by their manager are more likely to
report the incident and cope effectively. Simply put, the
benefits of reporting the incident must outweigh the
personal and professional costs. Research has found,
however, that reporting an incident does not always
resolve harassment. For example, weak complaint procedures have been linked to additional psychological
cost to complainants and retaliation by harasser(s).
This is one reason for low reporting levels.
Discouraging Sexual Harassment
• Ensure that policies have the complete and public commitment and support of senior corporate management.
• Make sure that the consequences of sexual harassment,
such as disciplinary actions or termination, are well
understood.
• Define sexual harassment in training and policy
materials, providing examples of inappropriate
behaviour. This is important, because some employees
may not be aware that their behaviour might constitute sexual harassment.
• Hold managers accountable for reporting and responding to all incidents or potential incidents of sexual
harassment. Even in the absence of a formal complaint,
policy should encourage managers to investigate
Sources: I. Dekker and J. Barling, “Personal and Organizational Predictors of
Workplace Sexual Harassment of Women by Men,” Journal of Occupational
Psychology, vol. 4, no. 1,1998, pp. 7–18; S. Welsh and J. Gruber, “Not Taking
It Any More: Women Who File Complaints of Sexual Harassment,” Canadian
Review of Sociology and Anthropology, vol. 36, no. 4, 1999.
16 L.J Munson., C. Hulin and F. Drasgow, “Longitudinal Analysis of Dispositional Influences and Sexual Harassment: Effects of Job and Psychological Outcomes,” Personnel
Psychology, Spring 2000, pp. 21–46.
17 L. M. Bernardi, “Maintaining a Harassment-Free Workplace,” The Canadian Manager, vol. 23, no. 1, 1998, pp. 3–17; J. Gruber, “The Impact of Male Work Environments and
Organizational Policies on Women’s Experiences of Sexual Harassment,” Gender and Society, vol. 12, no. 3, 1998, pp. 301–320; C.L.Z. DuBois, R.H. Faley, G.A. Kustis and D. Erdos
Knapp, “Perceptions of Organizational Responses to Formal Sexual Harassment Complaints,” Journal of Managerial Issues, vol. 11, no. 2., 1999, pp. 198–212; and I. Dekker and
J. Barling, “Personal and Organizational Predictors of Workplace Sexual Harassment of Women by Men,” Journal of Occupational Psychology, vol. 4, no. 1, 1998, pp. 7–18.
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TABLE 3
Myths and Misperceptions About Sexual Harassment
Myths and misperceptions
Truths
Harassment is primarily a concern for
women employed in non-traditional
sectors.
Conference Board and related research indicates that job type rather than industry or sector is
associated with incidences of harassment. Pink- or blue-collar employees are more likely to
experience sexual harassment than are white-collar workers. Pink- or blue-collar employees are
also less likely to respond assertively to harassment than are white-collar workers. Compared
to professional staff, support workers perceive sexual harassment as more of a problem of lack
of confidence in handling the situation themselves.
Younger women are the most likely targets.
Conference Board research found older women were most likely to report personal experiences
of harassment. This may reflect the fact that they have been in the labour force longer, thereby
increasing the chances that such an incident would occur. Alternatively, older women may be
more secure and therefore less tolerant of inappropriate behaviour.
Colleagues are employees’ best support
mechanisms.
Research indicates a tendency of co-workers to weigh the credibility of the complainant against
the status of the harasser. A harassed employee is perceived less favourably when the occupational status of the harasser is relatively higher.
The most stressful aspect of harassment
is the incident.
Both the incident and complaint resolution affect job performance. Prompt and effective
organizational redress has been found to lessen the impact of harassment.
The majority of employees who have been
harassed by a colleague leave their
employer.
Employees tend to leave an organization only when the perpetrator is their immediate supervisor. Those who have been harassed by colleagues other than an immediate supervisor are
most likely to ignore the incident.
Reaction of colleagues is not important.
Witness response is a good indication about the organization’s culture. Action, or a lack of
action, taken by colleagues sends a strong message about their own tolerance for harassment.
Sources: S. Welsh and J. Gruber, “Not Taking It Any More”; S. Boyes, “Sexual Harassment: Keeping Out of the Headlines,” Canadian Consulting Engineer, vol. 41, no. 2, 2000,
pp. 69–70; C.L.Z. DuBois, R.H. Faley, G.A. Kustis and D. Erdos Knapp, “Perceptions of Organizational Responses to Formal Sexual Harassment Complaints,” Journal of
Managerial Issues, vol. 11, no. 2, 1999, pp. 198–212; D. Crocker and V. Kalemba, “The Incidence and Impact of Women’s Experiences of Sexual Harassment in Canadian
Workplaces,” Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, vol. 36, no. 4, 1999.
• Following an allegation of sexual harassment,
managers should be responsible for monitoring
the workplace to ensure that no further harassment
or reprisals against the complainant, witnesses or
others occur.
• Ensure all complaints are handled quickly and
in a serious manner. Delays allow for innuendo
to surface and serve to discredit the validity of
the complaint.
• Establish response teams. The level of response should
be dependent on the nature of the incident. For example, the complainant’s manager should handle
inappropriate jokes; human resources staff should
be involved in all allegations of sexual coercion.
• Allow all complaints to remain confidential. Explain
that while you cannot guarantee anonymity, you will
maintain confidentiality.
when there is reason to believe that harassment
has occurred.
• Provide employees with formal and informal means of
redress. Procedures should be clearly spelled out. These
should not, however, be etched in stone.
• Conduct periodic organizational audits to determine the
frequency of sexual harassment and employees’ perceptions about their workplace culture. This includes questions that explicitly deal with types of sexual harassment. All survey results should be analyzed by gender
of respondents.
• Enact a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment.
Effective Complaint Resolution
• If the allegation is supported, procedures should reflect
the interests of the complainant.
9
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• Use standardized forms to document all incidents. This
allows staff to monitor complaints and tailor effective
response procedures and training material.
• Provide confidential sources of emotional and psychological assistance for employees (e.g., employee assistance programs).
• Take immediate action. Talk with the complainant,
alleged harasser and witnesses and take written statements from those involved.
• Explain the results of the investigation to all involved.
• If the complaint is not substantiated, the complainant,
alleged harassers and witnesses should be briefed about
the rationale for rejecting the complaint. This helps to
prevent innuendo and avoid discouraging others from
coming forward with complaints.
• Monitor the work environment to ensure that the complainant is not further harassed. Follow-up should
entail communicating with the complainant every few
months to determine if there are associated complaints.
Resources About Sexual Harassment
Employers are encouraged to seek expert assistance in
the development of sexual harassment policies, training
programs and complaint resolution guidelines.
Sample resources include:
• A. Aggarwal and M. Gupta, Sexual Harassment in the
Workplace (Toronto: Butterworths, 2000).
• Anti-harassment Policies for the Workplace: Employers
Guide, The Canadian Human Rights Commission
(http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/)
• Sample sexual harassment programs and guidelines:
Carleton University (www.carleton.ca/cu/aboutus/policies/regulations-governing-sexual-harassment.html);
Treasury Board of Canada (http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/
Pubs_pol/hrpubs/TB_851/HARAE1.html#obj)
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, see
http://www.eeoc.gov/index.html
TIPS THAT ORGANIZATIONS CAN PROVIDE THEIR EMPLOYEES
• Consult your supervisor immediately if you believe you have been harassed. Waiting can often make the
situation worse.
• Put the complaint in writing. In the event that the incident occurred between you and your supervisor, a third
person should be brought in to investigate. You should be aware of the appropriate contact for discussion of
your complaint.
• Document all actions you have taken to resolve your concerns.
• In situations where there are multiple complainants, consider lodging the complaint together to take the
pressure off one person and strengthen your case.
• Seek supportive counselling.
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