Sexual Harassment in Dillards - Case Study Example

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN DILLARD’S al Affiliation: Introduction Sexual harassment refers to discrimination of in sexual nature (Willness et al., 2007). It manifests in different forms and may be accompanied by unsolicited sexual advances, desires for sexual favoritism, and verbal or physical aggravation of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment exists at all levels of a company in relations. These relationships can be classified as female-to-male, male-to-female, female-to-female and male-to-male (Chamberlain, 2008). This paper examines sexual harassment in organizations. In the modern world, cases of sexual harassment in the workplace are prevalent. Many renowned scholars have conducted research on sexual harassment, and many have identified various impacts of sexual harassment in the organization. Through research, there have been efforts to theorize sexual harassment. In a topical review, (Lengnick-Hall, 1995) acknowledged numerous frameworks perceptible in this research such as gender (discrimination) approach, role (of leadership) approaches, power (of a leader) approaches. This paper will examine the leadership role in sexual harassment and impacts of sexual harassment to a firm’s ethical climate. This research will analyze what role leadership plays in sexual harassment in organizations. Further, the paper will provide insights on how sexual harassment impact on the ethical climate and decision making in the organization. The research is also intended to answer questions such as; how is sexual harassment apparent in organizations? What are the solutions curb the effects of sexual harassment? Further recommendations will also be provided for further research in the area. Problem Statement Dillard’s the largest clothing and home furnishings and fittings retailer in the USA faces a number of sexual harassment cases occurring in the organization such as the demand for sexual favors during recruitments and promotions from the management, which result because of the company’s culture that does not endow employee with power. Reasons Sexual Harassment Exist in Dillard’s Dillard’s is the largest clothing and home furnishings and fittings retailer in the USA. Sexual harassment manifested in the company in various forms including requests for sexual exchange in order for people to secure jobs and verbal sexual harassment where sexist names refer a female employee. Female employees at the company majorly experienced sexual harassment. The reasons why sexual harassment existed in Dillard’s and exists in most organizations are many (Cortina, and Wasti, 2005). One of the main reasons why sexual harassment exists is due to employees’ lack of power. Since some employees have less power in organizations than others, they become victims of sexual harassment. According to (Street et al., 2007) those in senior management positions exercise their power, wrongly, by exploiting the vulnerability of the less powerful employee. A good illustration can be pointed out to a secretary in an office is sexually advanced by her boss. Causes of Sexual Harassment One of the significant causes of sexual harassment in Dillard’s was deteriorated moral values, divorced employees, and cultural differences. Most of the employees had tendencies of having extramarital affairs that were surprisingly generally accepted. They had values that equated associated monogamy with monotony and therefore it was natural for them to engage in sexual advances to other employees. Such immoral actions such as in office flirtations were prevalent in the company instigating sexual harassment as (Gruber and Morgan, 2005) said men practice such behaviors. Those who were rejected turned to harassers. Divorce also contributed as many divorced employees had no marriage obligations to observe. Cultural differences also contribute to this issue, as there as some cultures that accept the mistreatment of female employees (Cortina and Jennifer, 2008). Lack of company policy also contributed to escalating cases of sexual harassment (Bobbitt-Zeher, 2011). The company did not have clear policies and disciplinary measures to handle harassment and any policies they had were not implemented. This allowed employees to engage in sexual harassment without fear of reprimand. Many companies have not set out clear policies to tackle the menace. Socialization factors also largely contributed to sexual harassment (Bergman, 2002). Some male employees were raised believing that they had the freedom to discriminate the female employees. This behavior of discriminating others in the form of gender created a favorable condition for sexual harassment. Power games were another factor where some male employees in the company felt insecure in their position fearing women could overtake as they climb the career ladder. This led to instances of trying to demoralize the female employees by belittling them. Verbal harassment was mainly employed in this case. Power games are common in firms with high hierarchies (Lopez, 2009). Leadership Role in Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is known to be one of the major issues that affect leaders in any organization. According to (Shadnam andLawrence, 2011), some leaders find themselves in situations whereby they lack the ethical substance of doing the right thing in dealing with sexual harassment. In Dillard’s, the top management disregarded this type of aggravation and conducted business as usual. They conspicuously failed to tackle the issue or implement company rules on sexual harassment and some of them indulged in the vice. The main contributing aspect of leadership in Dillard’s emanated from the unethical use of power. Most management team members took advantage of their positions in trying to woe employees to bestow them with sexual favors. Employee vulnerability allowed such requests to be granted, notwithstanding that the practice is immoral (Johnson, 2013). Most of these cases of harassment involved supervisors and subordinate employees, mostly the female workers. It also occurred when the female is superior and under extreme circumstances, same gender. Leadership and power are inextricably related. (Kessler, 2010) argues that the unethical use of power plays a fundamental role in the sexual harassment. Leaders in companies possess various kinds of power including legitimate, position, coercive, reward and referent power. When leaders exercise these powers in unethical way, they may participate in immoral behaviors such as sexual harassment. In Dillard’s, for example, supervisors exercised reward power; whereby an employee is awarded certain benefits after a well-done job. However, a section of supervisors exercised these powers to fulfill their personal interest. They asked for sexual favors in order that they reward the employee failure to which the benefit was not rewarded. This is also a practice that is a form of bullying and harassment (Einarsen, 2010). Leadership role in sexual harassment played a positive role. Some leaders with referent power used their influences to scold behaviors that depicted sexual harassment (Ofori, 2009). The respect they had and ethical use of power benefited Dillard’s. Top management personnel who were found to be practicing this menace were punished, and some demoted. Those employees who had conducted themselves in an ethical way by observing respect were rewarded handsomely. This method was adopted to enhance ethical behaviors in the workplace. How Sexual Harassment Impacts On the Ethical Climate of an Organization Sexual harassment in the organization has grave ethical implications. In Dillard’s, for example, sexual harassment led to discrimination. Employees who worked in the lower position in the firm were conspicuously discriminated. Additionally, female employees faced more discrimination than their male counterparts (Berdahl, 2007). Female employees in some instances were not able to advance in their career if they declined sexual advances from employees in management level. Discrimination was noticeable in the form of racial discrimination where workers from the minority did not have freedom due to sexual harassment. They were also threatened that they could lose their jobs if they report such treatments. Sexual harassment behavior also has an impact on the organization as it creates a sexually hostile environment. Consequently, both female and male staff will be apprehensive of losing their employment unless they meet the offenders’ sexual demands. Employees who engage in sexual harassment against others, indirectly affect the victim’s colleague who will need to seek avenues to quit eventually the organization. Thus, employees may face a challenge of coping with the job leading to stress (Lim and Cortina, 2005). In Dillard’s, any instance of sexual harassment brought a responsibility to employees to either report the case or leave their job. Sexual harassment also contributes to sexual favoritism in the firm. Most of the employees in the firm felt that their hard work was not recognized, contrary to those who gave sexual favors to senior employees. This contributed, largely, to low productivity of the employees. Decision-making in the firm is also affected, as many leaders in the firm make a subjective decision (Raver and Gelfand, 2005). In Dillard’s, supervisors favored some employees who even if made mistakes, were not punished. Favoritism contributes to poor decision-making limiting objective decision-making. Sexual harassment also affects decision-making, for example in Dillard’s, some senior employees made decisions to eavesdrop and pry on employees. Eavesdropping was aimed at visually satisfying them and sometimes by sound, thereby violating victim’s privacy. According to (Pierce, et al., 2004), such decisions are unethical and create a bad corporate image for the company. Potential Solutions to Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment remedies are aimed at curbing this unethical behavior. In the case of issues addressed concerning Dillard’s, the main solution to curb sexual harassment at the organization is to design a clear company policy that outlines the code of conduct of employees. Specific measures should be stipulated in company policy, which handles cases of sexual harassment. (Kelly, 2013) argues that rules also should recommend a clear procedure for employees to follow when they are sexually harassed. Bureaucracy in dressing sexual matters should be eliminated to facilitate employees’ quest in reporting the matter. The management should encourage the promotion of equal opportunity in the organization. This will prevent discrimination in the company. Employers can also prevent discrimination by establishing a process of resolving cases brought forward which is quick and instant. This will act as a restrictive mechanism that discourages employees to harass others or discriminate them on the basis of gender or race. The leaders of any entity should also communicate relevant information about sexual harassment to employees to inform them of the effects of the vice. This enables employees to know their rights (Cortina, and Wasti, 2005). Conclusion Sexual harassment is a vice that continues to be an issue in many companies. This unethical behavior has many causes that include lack of company policy that attend to it. Leadership in the organization has a crucial role to play regarding sexual harassment. The perpetrators of sexual harassment in organizations usually hold great positions and power. They use their different forms of power, but where they act unethically, they limit other employees’ freedom. Sexual harassment creates unethical culture and climate in the organization mostly in the form of discrimination mainly based on gender. As a result, there a a couple negative impacts of sexual harassment such as poor decision-making and low productivity. Recommendations for Further Research This study concentrated on the roles leadership play and the ethical impacts of sexual harassment in Dillard’s company. It is recommended that a further research studies be conducted on how sexual harassment impacts on the organization culture of Dillard’s company. Further, research on sexual harassment should be carried out companies from diverse industries. References Berdahl, J. L. (2007). The sexual harassment of uppity women. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(2), 425. Bergman, M. E., Langhout, R. D., Palmieri, P. A., Cortina, L. M., & Fitzgerald, L. F. (2002). The (un) reasonableness of reporting: antecedents and consequences of reporting sexual harassment. Journal of Applied Psychology,87(2), 230. Bobbitt-Zeher, D. (2011). Gender discrimination at work connecting gender stereotypes, institutional policies, and gender composition of workplace.Gender & Society, 25(6), 764-786. Chamberlain, L. J., Crowley, M., Tope, D., & Hodson, R. (2008). Sexual harassment in organizational context. Work and Occupations, 35(3), 262-295. Cortina, L. M., & Wasti, S. A. (2005). Profiles in coping: responses to sexual harassment across persons, organizations, and cultures. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(1), 182. CortinaandJenniferL, L. M. (2008). Sexual harassment in organizations: A decade of research in review. The SAGE Handbook of Organizational Behavior: Volume One: Micro Approaches, 1, 469. Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. (Eds.). (2010). Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice. Crc Press. Gruber, J., & Morgan, P. (Eds.). (2005). In the company of men: Male dominance and sexual harassment. UPNE. Johnson, C. E. (2013). Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership: Casting light or shadow. Sage Publications. Kelly, L. (2013). Surviving sexual violence. John Wiley & Sons. Kessler, V. (2010). Leadership and power. Koers: Bulletin for Christian Scholarship= Koers: Bulletin vir Christelike Wetenskap: Christian Leadership,75(3), 527-550. Lim, S., & Cortina, L. M. (2005). Interpersonal mistreatment in the workplace: the interface and impact of general incivility and sexual harassment. Journal of applied psychology, 90(3), 483. Lopez, S. H., Hodson, R., & Roscigno, V. J. (2009). Power, status, and abuse at work: General and sexual harassment compared. The Sociological Quarterly,50(1), 3-27. Ofori, G. (2009). Ethical leadership: Examining the relationships with full range leadership model, employee outcomes, and organizational culture. Journal of Business Ethics, 90(4), 533-547. Pierce, C. A., Broberg, B. J., McClure, J. R., & Aguinis, H. (2004). Responding to sexual harassment complaints: Effects of a dissolved workplace romance on decision-making standards. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 95(1), 66-82. Raver, J. L., & Gelfand, M. J. (2005). Beyond the individual victim: Linking sexual harassment, team processes, and team performance. Academy of Management Journal, 48(3), 387-400. Shadnam, M., & Lawrence, T. B. (2011). Understanding widespread misconduct in organizations. Business Ethics Quarterly, 21(3), 379-407. Street, A. E., Gradus, J. L., Stafford, J., & Kelly, K. (2007). Gender differences in experiences of sexual harassment: data from a male-dominated environment. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 75(3), 464. Street, A. E., Gradus, J. L., Stafford, J., & Kelly, K. (2007). Gender differences in experiences of sexual harassment: data from a male-dominated environment. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 75(3), 464. Willness, C. R., Steel, P., & Lee, K. (2007). A meta‐analysis of the antecedents and consequences of workplace sexual harassment. Personnel Psychology, 60(1), 127-162. Read More