America has been built on a core set of values, respect, equality, safety, and fairness. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a grave injustice to those who experience it, and we must return to our core American values. Through ignoring these values, we are not only failing workers, but we are also failing society as a whole.
Workplace sexual harassment is an ongoing cultural and ethical issue that many are faced with on a day-to-day basis. However, most of the time employers ignore it because they don’t see it as an ongoing threat within the workforce. The fact of it is though is that workplace sexual harassment has detrimental effects on those who are involved along with the companies. This can lead to low morale in the workplace along with decreased productivity, high turnover rates, harm companies’ reputations, etc..
The truth is that there are ways that companies are able to fix this issue if they actually put in the effort to do so. There are many ways in which this could be done, including enforcing zero-tolerance policies, having mandatory training, and creating a space that is respectful and safe for all. We need moral leadership that stands for Americas core values back in these companies in order to bring an end to sexual harassment in the workplace.
Many of the times victims are silenced with statements such as, “that’s just how he is” or “this will ruin his career” or “it was just a joke.” However, these statements are harmful and completely undermine victims' true experiences. They take away accountability and protect their power. Americans strongly uphold the justice system in society so why not do the same in the workplace? Moral leaders need to take control of the situation and face the uncomfortable truths, not just allow the perpetrator to get away without any consequences.
One way to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace is by providing mandatory training that promotes a safe and healthy work environment. This continues to uphold American value’s because it would give everyone fair and equal treatment. Through providing mandatory training, it recognizes the potential problem from the very beginning and reinforces America’s commitment to justice and people's individual rights. Through the use of this training, it creates a better work culture for all of those involved. These trainings go directly with the zero tolerance policies because they go through the ground rules for what is considered sexual harassment, how to prevent it, and how to report it.
Some may say that sexual harassment training may cause more harm than good and cause division within the workplace because it causes men to be more likely to blame the victims. This is due to the dynamic of men fearing false allegations and women being scared to not be believed. Men are more likely to become defensive if they feel that they are being targeted during these presentations. However, in order to fix this the presentations have to be done in a different manner than what most are doing now. One of the most promising alternatives to traditional sexual harassment training is the bystander intervention training. This is a type of training in which everyone is considered to be an ally of one another automatically instead of pitting them against each other. It promotes unity instead of division and promotes treating employees with respect and protecting their rights as an American. With this type of training comes “If you see something, say or do something.” This has shown to be far more promising than your average sexual harassment training and is considered the best alternative. This is America’s best solution.
Zero-tolerance policies are policies that call for action, sometimes termination, in the case of a verified sexual harassment report. However, termination is not always the only option for an instance of sexual harassment there are other corrective options. These policies do not automatically call for the termination of the offender but instead ensure a thorough investigation of the allegation. These types of polices continue to uphold America’s value for accountability and fairness. The work of an investigation provides due process for both parties. The goal of a zero-tolerance policy is to promote a safe work environment for all employees.
Creating a respectful and safe work environment is another way to combat workplace sexual harassment because if employees respect each other, then the likelihood of workplace sexual harassment lowers. When employees treat each other with respect it reflects a core American value that one is able to follow and achieve their goals and reflects their individual liberty. Sexual harassment can create a hostile work environment, impact morale, and employee motivation. It is something that can have detrimental effects on the work environment. This could cause things such as high turnover rates which could impact the company as a whole. Therefore, through creating a safe and respectful work environment, employees are able to feel comfortable in the workplace which in turn lets them feel as though they are able to work freely. This will further reinforce that all American’s are entitled to work hard and strive for what they want.
In conclusion, we need to continue to uphold America’s values, that seem to have been lost, if we want to end sexual harassment. Employers need to uphold strong morals and protect employee's individual rights to respect, safety, justice, and fairness. If employers cannot uphold these values, then we as American’s need to take a step back and figure out where these basic values have gone. Employees need respect in order to thrive; they need to be able to have their freedom in the workplace and feel valued. In order to do this, employers need to implement mandatory training, enforce zero-tolerance policies, and create a safe and respectful work environment. If we continue to uphold American value’s we can combat the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace.
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