Synopsis

The effect of sexual harassment on workplace

relationship

Introduction
Unwelcome and unwanted conduct of a sexual nature is an age-old problem.
For the majority of victims, at least for those who have made their situation
known, their complaints or cries for help have typically been ignored,
trivialized, or denied. The term ‘sexual harassment’ as a descriptor for this
conduct was only coined in the 1970s. Since then the issue has become a
recognised phenomenon throughout the world in all cultural and occupational
contexts. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), sexual
harassment is a clear form of gender discrimination based on sex, a
manifestation of unequal power relations between men and women. The
problem relates not so much to the actual biological differences between men
and women – rather, it relates to the gender or social roles attributed to men and
women in social and economic life, and perceptions about male and female
sexuality in society that can lead to unbalanced male-female power
relationships.
As increasing numbers of women have joined the labour force over the last 3
decades, what has also increased is their vulnerability to unwanted attention at
the workplace. Today, the problem of sexual harassment in workplaces is
acknowledged as a serious issue – as an occupational hazard and a violation of
human rights. The ILO has called it a violation of the fundamental rights of
workers, a safety and health hazard, a problem of discrimination, an
unacceptable working condition, and a form of violence, usually against women
workers. Although both men and women can be subjected to sexual harassment,
quantitative and qualitative research shows that women are much more likely to
be victims and men perpetrators in societies globally. Beyond the harmful
effects sexual harassment can have on workers, it also carries negative
implications for the corporation/enterprise. It leads to workplace tensions,
which in turn can impede team work and performance, and encourage
absenteeism, all of which ultimately lowers productivity. The organization
stands to lose valuable employees with otherwise good work performance, and
could suffer from a negative public image should victims go public with their
situations. There is also a financial risk in the form of lawsuits and payment of
damages and fines.

Statement of the problem

Workplace sexual harassment is a relatively new concern in most Asian
countries. Advocates against sexual harassment suggest that in the more
traditional and conservative societies of Asia, victims may be reluctant to come
forward with complaints or confront their harassers because they may be shy or
ashamed, fearful of retaliation, or may not know what to do about it. Often
victims also may not even know that what is happening to them is sexual
harassment, considering it just part and parcel of working life. Apologists tend
to label sexual harassment as a Western phenomenon, or they downplay its
existence, describing the problem as more often that of ‘miscommunication’
rather than a real intent to harass. Whatever the case, the issue has undeniably
become more prominent in the last decade, thanks to the efforts of civil society
groups and the media, and pressure from international organizations. While
there are still no binding international standards that specifically mention sexual
harassment, a growing list of countries have taken legislative action to recognise
it as abusive behaviour, and to punish and prevent it.

Research Methodology
In this study, a questionnaire as the quantitative research is employed to collect
data from the various employees working in different sectors. Primary data was
used for the study. The primary data were collected from the respondents based
on structured questionnaire.

Research Objective
The objective of this study is to examine the impact of sexual harassment on
workplace relationship.
Limitations of the study
The limitations of the study were the respondents were not open about the
questions asked in questionnaire. Respondents were hesitant towards their
views. The research was not related with respect to a particular industry.