Challenges with realizing aspirations of common good in professional communities
Sexual harassment takes account of behaviours from glances and inappropriate comments, jokes majorly based on gender stereotypes to sexual assault and other acts of physical violence. The addition to the principle of human dignity in Catholic social teaching has been the notion of unity and solidarity. Moreover, the assurance of personal dignity positions on protections ensured by the society. According to Triana et al. (2015), individual perceives about these aspects in relation to common good. The principle of common good has relied on the idea that every individual regardless of gender has the authority to attain things from the society which has been fundamental to successfully sustain their dignity and respect. Acts of workplace sexual harassment has been globally predestined as sex discrimination and a destruction of human rights whereby over 75 nations have ratified legislation eliminating it (Ozeren, 2014). The paper will aim to focus on the strategies which will essentially eliminate acts of sexual harassment at workplaces majorly experienced by women. Moreover, the paper will shed light on the equal workplace opportunities for women at workplaces for common good and universal interest of all.
Organizational tolerance of sexual harassment has been recognized as the major influence on whether sexual harassment has its incidence at workplace. Meanwhile, there has been observed insignificant amount of empirical research on types of policies as well as procedures have been efficient in formulating a safe and secured organizational climate where any forms of sexual harassment or discrimination will be tolerated (Triana et al., 2015). Drawing significance to the removal or elimination of sexual harassment at workplaces where women have been viewed as primary victims, training and organization’s policies and strategies have been shown to elevate those employees, particularly men will develop the ability to identify unwanted and inappropriate sexual behaviours such as improper touching as sexual harassment (Vickers, 2016). Basford, Offermann and Behrend (2014) have stated that employees who gain greater degree of proficiencies become more aware of types of acts or behaviours majorly constitute sexual harassment which may be enthused to circumvent such behaviours and further to strengthen such standards and norms in their workgroup.
Further to training, several modern organizations must accentuate on successful eradication or prevention of such unlawful acts by subjecting strong policy reports of zero acceptance of discrimination and further by offering a protected means for grievances of sexual harassment with fortification not in favor of reprisal or revenge (McDonald, Charlesworth & Graham, 2015). These factors have permitted several employers to offer counselling and support to sufferers. For example, Westpac, Australia’s one of the four major banking organizations has been offering training program along with a safe and distinct complaint procedure which may have the capacity to safeguard female employees against legal responsibility (Westpac.com.au., 2019). Reports of Okechukwu et al. (2014) have revealed that Westpac under the Australian anti-discrimination law aims to reduce threats of legal action whereby the company can proficiently implement anti-discrimination policies and strategies and further guarantee female employees to gather awareness of the consequences.
Strategies to eliminate sexual harassment at workplaces
Murphy et al. (2015) have mentioned that while recognizing behaviours which entail sexual harassment and injustice should be avoided justifying it so extensively as to cause work associations in order to reduce as workplace peers apprehension being charged of sexual harassment for behaviour aimed as uncompetitive or responsive. Thus, establishing a workplace ambience of distrust and ambiguity may further be severely affect efficiency. Reports on Australian government workers of Herbert (2014) have exposed that almost half the men exhibited high level of concern that giving compliments or greetings often tend to be misconstrued as sexual harassment. However, comparatively not many workers around 21.8% of men and 9.5% of women have accounted that terror of being indicted of sexual harassment turned their place of work a highly uncomfortable place to work (Basford, Offermann & Behrend, 2014).
Furthermore, depending on the country, workplace aggravation or discrimination may be sheltered under a series of legal values and standards based on service discrimination on the basis of sex, under health and safety laws necessitating conditions of a protected working atmosphere in addition to focusing on criminal regulation in particular for sexual attack, as an deliberate act for which courts can grant compensation rewards (McDonald, Charlesworth & Graham, 2015). Murphy et al. (2015) have stated that the productivity of these laws fundamentally depend on the reporting of acts of workplace discrimination by victims and others affected by the assaulting acts of conduct. Nonetheless, workplace harassment has been severely underreported. Reports of McDonald, Charlesworth and Graham (2015) have found that over 90% of Australian government employees who have encountered sexually troublesome conducts which failed to take any successful action. The decision not to take into consideration has been typically justified by challenges about retaliation along with the consequential impact on job satisfaction. Furthermore, critical threats of legal action can strengthen organizational incentives in order to abolish several forms of harassing behaviour (Okechukwu et al., 2014). However, Murphy et al. (2015) have identified that prospect that is sexually harassing behaviour will primarily be consequential to a lawsuit tends to be relatively low, further falling the effectiveness of laws. On the other hand, Basford, Offermann and Behrend (2014) have emphasized on market inducements which have been apparently unsatisfactory to exterminate workplace harassment, thus certain initiatives to alleviate the expenses to organizations of enduring unfavourable work environment may be effectual. For example, authors have viewed companies like Westpac and Woolworths Group who have been efficiently lifted the pay premium in order to magnetize greater number of female workers (Mukhopadhyay, 2016).
Equal workplace opportunities for women for common good
Taking into consideration strategies to remove workplace harassment specifically against women, authors have highlighted acts of Equal employment opportunity (EEO) in Australia which has been corroded by modern concern with the industry and lucrative. In the view of authors, workplace diversity has been regarded as a highly discursive construct intended for the common good which can be invested with assertive understanding further distinguishing skills, competencies along with distinct attributes of individual employees (Okechukwu et al., 2014). Commitments to diversity and inclusion has spanned several years, developing from adhering to basic tenets of compliance, to diversity and full inclusion for all. According to authors, it is essential to position the continuing diversity as well as inclusion journey whether related to skills, competencies or communities on a solid foundation of dignity, equity and respect and work for a common good where women along with men and bring their whole, genuine selves and efficiently contribute their fullest potential. In addition to this, Directorate for Gender Equality of the Government Office for Equal Opportunities facilitated people a tender with three important pillars whereby the first one has been directed at the capacity building of organizations both state as well as non-state constituting a responsibility in the endorsement of equal employment opportunities for women to successfully access national level funding as well as project openings (Mukhopadhyay, 2016). The second pillar primarily purposes for supporting initiatives which have been dealing with common good and public interest employment for women, development of health awareness by employers. In addition to this, the third pillar has been outlined to enable organizing trainings, workplace harassment programs and conferences and further publish organizational journals and articles which fundamentally support gender and workplace equality by preventing any form of discrimination against women (Okechukwu et al., 2014). However, appeals to the common good have been confronted by the predicament of an unequal sharing of burdens. Furthermore, sustaining a common good typically necessitates specific individuals or distinct groups accept expenses which are much superior to those borne by others. Moreover, creating employment opportunities more equal tends to necessitate that certain groups especially women have been sacrificing their own employment opportunities. In addition, according to Basford, Offermann and Behrend (2014), compelling female employees to execute such unequal burdens “for the sake of the common good’ has been highly unjust. Additionally the outlook of executing such profound and unequal burdens results female employees to resist any efforts of securing common goods (Mukhopadhyay, 2016).
Conclusion
Hence to conclude, workplace harassment has been posing major obstacles to those who call for an ethic of the common good. Thus, legislation prohibiting workplace discrimination and harassment has been insufficient to eradicate it. Even though significant enforcement of laws tends to depend on coverage and exposure, certain degree of underreporting has been weakening the effectiveness of laws. Policies intended for escalating coverage might be of substantial help in order to sustain law enforcement furthermore could further strengthen the inducements and motivation offered by the market.
References
Basford, T. E., Offermann, L. R., & Behrend, T. S. (2014). Do you see what I see? Perceptions of gender microaggressions in the workplace. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 38(3), 340-349.
Herbert, L. C. (2014). Conceptualizing sexual harassment in the workplace as a dignitary tort. Ohio St. LJ, 75, 1345.
McDonald, P., Charlesworth, S., & Graham, T. (2015). Developing a framework of effective prevention and response strategies in workplace sexual harassment. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 53(1), 41-58.
Mukhopadhyay, M. (2016). Mainstreaming gender or “streaming” gender away: feminists marooned in the development business. In The Palgrave Handbook of Gender and Development (pp. 77-91). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Murphy, J., Samples, J., Morales, M., & Shadbeh, N. (2015). “They talk like that, but we keep working”: Sexual harassment and sexual assault experiences among Mexican Indigenous farmworker women in Oregon. Journal of immigrant and minority health, 17(6), 1834-1839.
Okechukwu, C. A., Souza, K., Davis, K. D., & de Castro, A. B. (2014). Discrimination, harassment, abuse, and bullying in the workplace: Contribution of workplace injustice to occupational health disparities. American journal of industrial medicine, 57(5), 573-586.
Ozeren, E. (2014). Sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace: A systematic review of literature. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 109, 1203-1215.
Triana, M. D. C., Jayasinghe, M., & Pieper, J. R. (2015). Perceived workplace racial discrimination and its correlates: A meta?analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(4), 491-513.
Vickers, L. (2016). Religious freedom, religious discrimination and the workplace. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Westpac.com.au. (2019). Gender equality | Westpac. Retrieved from https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/inclusion-and-diversity/Inclusion-means-everyone-matters/gender-equality/
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