Chapter 11: Communicating in Organizations

Sexual Harassment

There are days when none of us want to be at work or at school, particularly when the weather is nice or there’s some other fun activity to take part in. Imagine, however, if your main reason for not wanting to head to class or to your job is fear. For many women and men around the world, a fear of being bullied or harassed in the workplace, on campus, or in other settings is far too common. Harassment is any communication that hurts, offends, or embarrasses another person and creates a hostile environment. It can take many forms, such as antagonizing people about their sex, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or abilities (Federal Communications Commission, 2008).

One particularly offensive type of harassment is sexual harassment, which the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (2011) defines as follows: “Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature . . . when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).” Specific conduct that can create such an environment may include sexist remarks, embarrassing jokes, taunting, displays of pornographic photographs, and unwanted physical contact such as touching, kissing, or grabbing. Additionally, organizations are also observing new instances of sexual harassment with an increase in the use of computer-mediated communication in the workplace (Ritter, 2014).

Cultural differences, like those discussed in Chapters 3, 4, and 5, can lead to perceptions of harassment when communicators fail to remember the cultural context. Gestures that are entirely appropriate in one culture might be considered offensive elsewhere. The same can be said for verbal messages such as commenting on an individual’s appearance. Companies and communicators should take time to clarify perceptions and adapt messages in order to avoid miscommunication.

How big a problem is sexual harassment? Well, over 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies have reported cases of sexual harassment (Keyton, Ferguson, & Rhodes, 2001), and in fiscal year 2011, the EEOC (2012) received 11,364 complaints of sexual harassment. In addition, the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation notes that nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of two thousand college students surveyed in 2005 said that they had been subject to sexual harassment in college (National Organization for Women [NOW], 2006). Women are most commonly the victims of sexual harassment, but men can also experience its negative effects. In fact, 17.6 percent of the charges filed with the EEOC in 2013 were complaints from men (2012). In addition, three-quarters of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) students report that they have experienced incidents of sexual harassment on campus (NOW, 2006). These statistics are clearly problematic, but what is even more challenging is that victims often feel shame and embarrassment, preventing many of them from filing official complaints. For example, only 7 percent of students say that they reported sexual harassment to a member of their college or university; LGBT students in particular report that they are extremely angry and embarrassed by their experience (NOW, 2006). Still other victims fear that they will lose their jobs if they speak out—particularly if they are harassed by a boss or other individual with power (Vijayasiri, 2008; Witteman, 1993).

Sexual harassment costs organizations millions of dollars every year and robs individuals of opportunities, dignity, and sense of self-worth. For this reason, organizations have instituted official codes of conduct and clear definitions and penalties for sexual harassment. Many even offer training to educate organizational members. For example, some programs discuss gendered communication, noting that women socialized in feminine nurturing are more likely than men to disclose personal information in the workplace. Men, who tend to be more private about personal information at work, may interpret that behavior as flirting and may respond with a sexual advance. Similarly, men may use smiling, extensive eye contact, and touch as signals that they are sexually attracted to someone, whereas many women use these same nonverbal behaviors to demonstrate their interest in a conversation topic and their support of the person who is speaking (Berryman-Fink, 1993). By understanding and being aware of such communication differences, incidents can be prevented before they happen. Nonetheless, when incidents do occur, victims should recognize that the law is on their side; they should feel empowered to take action against an illegal act. If you are a victim of sexual harassment—or even if you think you might be—consider the following communication strategies:

Clearly and firmly tell the harasser that his or her advances are not welcome.
Immediately report the incident to someone who can assist you: a trusted professor, a counselor, or your boss. If the harasser is your boss, you can contact a representative in your organization’s human resources department.
Document each incident in writing. Include a description of the incident, the date, the person or persons involved, and any action you took.
If anyone else in the organization witnessed the harassing behavior, have each witness verify the details of the incident and add that information to your documentation.

Likewise, be careful not to inadvertently behave in a harassing manner yourself. For example, if a friend e-mails a dirty joke or pornographic photo to you at work, don’t forward it to anyone else in the organization. It’s not appropriate under any circumstances. And if your organization is like many, it may well fire you on the spot.

BACK TO

Zappos

At the beginning of the chapter, we took a look at how Zappos endeavors to create a corporate culture that is based on core values. Let’s revisit the culture at Zappos now that we’ve learned a bit more about the way organizations shape, and are shaped by, communication.

Hsieh calls culture the company’s “No. 1 priority” (Hsieh, 2013, para. 2). But a nice place to work won’t remain a nice place to work for very long if the company fails to grow and be profitable. For that reason, the company’s core values reflect not merely worker-centric ideas like pursuing “weirdness” or building team spirit but also bottom-line realities like “do more with less” and “deliver WOW through service.”
The company also places a premium on communication (see core value #6, “Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication”). The new headquarters is designed to foster face-to-face communication with central entrances and corridors where top corporate officers, including Hsieh, work not in posh corner offices but in an open-plan, common work space in full view of coworkers and anyone taking a tour of the space (Spillman, 2013).
One key issue facing large companies today is the debate over flexible time and work-at-home policies. At Zappos, the goal is clearly on keeping employees in a face-to-face environment where they can interact with one another spontaneously.
Another level being explored at the company is the importance of becoming part of the surrounding community. Hsieh envisions a downtown lifestyle that enables Zappos employees to meet and work off campus as much as they do at the office.
Although Zappos is taking clear and committed steps toward cultivating its organizational culture, the company recognizes that culture doesn’t form overnight. Hseih feels that the process can take anywhere from five years to a lifetime. “It’s not a two-year execution and you’re done” (Hsieh, quoted in Nisen, 2013, para. 4).