Sexual harassment: Have we made any progress?

Diversity Australia Blog

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Sexual harassment (SH) is a continuing, chronic occupational health problem in organizations and work environments. First addressed in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology through a 1998 Special Section on Sexual Harassment, we return to this consequential issue. If the goal is to reduce SH in organizations, and we believe that it should be, then a key question is whether we have made progress in 2 decades. The answer is mixed. Yes, there is a 28% decline in SH complaints.

No, there is an increase in complaints by males. No, there has been an increase in the percentage of merit resolutions and monetary benefits. Maybe, because how do we explain the complexity of SH with emergent gay, lesbian, and transgender workforce members. One persistent problematic aspect of SH lack of agreement on definition. We address 2 of the 3 definitional approaches. We consider the broad, negative consequences for organizations and for individual victims.

Harassers and aggressors destroy lives, leaving long legacies of suffering. In addition, we offer some suggestions for moving forward in science and practice, with emphasis on the role of the bystander. We conclude that SH is a preventable, if not always predictable, occupational health problem.

Attributions:

Campbell Quick, J. & McFadyen, M. A

Journal of Occupational Health Psychology

2017, Vol.22. No 3, 286-298

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About The Author

Steven Asnicar

Steven leads the Diversity Australia Consulting business in Australia and New Zealand and is an active Leader in the Asia Pacific region. With a senior executive career spanning 25 years in corporate as a Director and Chief Executive, consulting and executive search specialist, Steven founded and led a successful specialist leadership development and assessment firm in Asia Pacific for 18 years prior to founding Diversity Australia.

Steven is a highly experienced Executive and Coach, working with Boards, individuals and teams at the C-Suite level. He also advises clients on leadership development, succession planning and executive assessment. As an innate entrepreneur, Steven brings an innovative, data informed approach to co-create impactful yet pragmatic client solutions.

Steven earned a Masters of International Business specialising in Human Capital Management through Bond University, a Graduate Certificate of Corporate Management through Deakin and a Bachelor of Business through UQ. He is a is a graduate of the Global Institute of Directors, a qualified RABQSA Auditor, and is a thought leader on executive diversity, equity and inclusion, with over 26,000 followers on his LinkedIn profile: https://au.linkedin.com/in/steven-asnicar.

View our key team of consultants and trainers at: https://www.diversityaustralia.com.au/our-team.

About Diversity Australia: Leading the Way in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

WE CHAMPION INCLUSION FOR ALL ORGANISATIONS: Diversity Australia is the leading national and international diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) professional services firm.

We specialise in DE&I training and consulting, including unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, psychological safety, respect at work, and cultural awareness and change.

BUILDING HIGH-PERFORMING, INCLUSIVE CULTURES: Our passion lies in developing strategies that promote cultures of inclusion and diversity. We help organisations foster a high-performing, equitable workforce that sets a new global standard for DE&I.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST:

Led by CEO Steven Asnicar, an experienced executive and thought leader in strategic human resources and DE&I;
Team of over 10 highly qualified consultants with advanced degrees and extensive industry experience;
Alignment with Global ISO Diversity and Inclusion Standards, Australian Inclusive Service Standards (ISS), and ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations for DE&I;
Training content researched and created by subject matter experts, benchmarked across our diverse senior team;
Positive focus on the ethical and equity-related benefits of an inclusive culture.

About Diversity Australia:
Leading the Way in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

WE CHAMPION INCLUSION FOR ALL ORGANISATIONS: Diversity Australia is the leading national and international diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) professional services firm.

We specialise in DE&I training and consulting, including unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, psychological safety, respect at work, and cultural awareness and change.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST:

● Led by CEO Steven Asnicar, an experienced executive and thought leader in strategic human resources and DE&I;
● Team of over 10 highly qualified consultants with advanced degrees and extensive industry experience;
● Alignment with Global ISO Diversity and Inclusion Standards, Australian Inclusive Service Standards (ISS), and ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations for DE&I;
● Training content researched and created by subject matter experts, benchmarked across our diverse senior team;
● Positive focus on the ethical and equity-related benefits of an inclusive culture.