Sexual harassment can take several different forms, verbal, physical, male on female or even sometimes female on male, and is one of the biggest problems facing South African business and indeed business around the world.
Sexual harassment can be something as seemingly innocuous as a man staring at a woman, or can take the form of more serious harassment like touching and inappropriate sexual comments.
Although men are not immune to sexual harassment at work, according to Cape Gateway "98% of the cases reported in a survey conducted in South Africa in the early 1990s among members of the IPM and the Institute of Directors, related to men harassing women at work or in work-associated situations."
Male on female harassment is by far the most common and usually occurs between senior staff and female co-workers. Cape Gateway defines sexual harassment as "unwelcome or unwanted attention of a sexual nature from someone at work, that causes discomfort, humiliation, offence or distress, and / or interferes with the job.
"This includes all such actions and practices of a sexual nature by a person or a group of people directed at one or more workers.
"Sexual harassment can consist of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours in return for employment benefits, pressure for sexual favours to clinch sales deals, the display of sexually offensive posters, cartoons or drawings, or any other form of verbal or physical behaviour that the recipient regards as unwelcome or embarrassing."
And when dealing with cases of sexual harassment it's the effect or impact it has on the victim that counts, not what was initially intended. So "I was joking" or "I'd had too much to drink", therefore, is an ineffective excuse.
But what are the causes of this kind of harassment? Well, there are various reasons, a lot of them psychological, ranging from the way the perpetrator was brought up to how he views women in general (he may think his advances are seen as a compliment). Men can use this as a type of power game in the office, deflecting their own instabilities in positions of power on women whom they may feel should not be climbing the corporate ladder (remember that South Africa, until quite recently, was a country in which discrimination was generally regarded as "okay"). The harasser might also see the victim, whose credibility will undoubtedly be called into question should she speak out, as an unreliable witness and may think he can get away with it.
Take the single mother of two, for example. Not only is she dependant on her job but so are her two children - for her to be caught in the middle of a sexual harassment case could turn very nasty for them, or she may be told her job depends of sexual favours etc.
Other typical victims of harassment include, divorcées and widows, women who are insecure and unsure of their abilities and women eager to be accepted and liked. Saleswomen may also experience this kind of harassment from clients in exchange for business, and what's worse is that some employers may urge compliance for the sake of business.
Consequences
The problems sexual harassment causes in the workplace are far reaching. Despite the emotional anguish suffered by the victim and the terror it may cause, the victims are usually the ones who incur the highest personal costs. Their self-esteem and self-confidence can be crushed and unfortunately this is still one of the biggest problems "in the closet".
Businesses suffer through a loss of productivity, morale and motivation and may lose valuable staff in the process. The legal costs can be high and companies without proper policies and procedures relating to sexual harassment can find themselves in trouble when it comes time to deal with disciplinary hearings.
Cape Gateway says one of the best ways to combat sexual harassment in the workplace is to promote its awareness, and that while this may not eliminate the problem entirely it will surely reduce its extent dramatically.