What are the Best Ways to Prevent Sexual Harassment

Best Ways to Prevent Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment can be prevented in various ways . Of course , this variation can be accounted for and is dependant on factors such as geographical location or country , the laws of the country or state , the culture and sub-cultures existing within the country and , on a more specific level , organizational norms and culture . This list can grow to include several contributing factors of prevention (Bell , Quick and Cycyota , 2002 Kaplan , 2006 however , the point here is not to list these but to show that prevention of sexual

harassment requires incorporation of a multi-faceted approach that will address and counter nearly all possible factors that lead to sexual harassment . The scope of this is to analyze prevailing methods and shed light on the effectiveness of other suggested prevention methods within a corporate organizational context in the United States only

Within the course of this , the author will show that all these factors must be incorporated into a comprehensive approach of preventing sexual harassment and that certain practices , such as training of employees only , may not be as successful as is suggested by some researchers and laws (Johnson , 2004 Bell , Quick and Cycyota , 2002

Research , on American laws and organizational practices , shows that sexual harassment education and training are considered as a vital remedy or prevention method of sexual harassment (Bell , Quick and Cycyota , 2002 Johnson , 2004 Mulligan and Foy , 2003 . A brief of American law and its implications on workplace environment is needed to show the emphasis on sexual harassment prevention education and training . The basis of sexual harassment as an act prohibited by law comes from the interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by the Supreme Court (Mulligan and Foy , 2003 American Academy of Pediatrics , 2000 Dye , 2003 . Although sexual harassment is not explicitly mentioned in this Act , the Supreme Court has ruled that sexual harassment is actually a part of gender discrimination , the basis on which the Title VII was created in the first place . This is not the only ruling on sexual harassment in 1998 the Supreme Court further modified or focused this act to imply that organizations may be able to defend themselves against cases d by employees provided that the organization proves two situations . Firstly the organization must show that it ensures the creation and functioning of preventive and corrective measures in cases of sexual harassment i .e reasonable measures are already in place to prevent and counter sexual harassment . Secondly , the organization must prove that the concerned employee did not take advantage of corrective and preventive opportunities by the employer

These rulings have many implications on sexual harassment prevention methods because organizations subject to state and constitutional law will be in violation if they do not comply . Most importantly , the 1998 and 1999 rulings have made it binding for organizations to use rules training , and periodic training to prevent sexual harassment . The clear categorization of training as a preventive measure has been...