Question #1: In the e-Activity, it is stated that some women in the military who have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment believed that their superiors failed to react appropriately, and at times they have even believed that they were blamed for their allegations. Formulate a plan in which you detail the appropriate steps that managers should take if employees approach them to report an incident of sexual harassment. Determine the type of evidence that you believe an employee would need in order to substantiate his or her allegations.
Any respectable company should properly train managers with specific steps in order to deal with situations in which employees report incidents of sexual harassment. A manager approached by an employee who is reporting an incident of sexual harassment should take the employee seriously and allow him or her the time and privacy so all of the details about what happened can be given. The manager should be prepared to document everything the employee reports, including names, dates, events, conversations, and locations (Koobs 2010). Approaching management about harassment incidents are usually extremely difficult for employees to find the courage to do, so it is important at this initial stage of their first report to emphasize confidentiality, listen to and document as much information as the employee can offer about the situation, and to explain to the employee what will happen next. In some situations, police or medical personnel may be required at this stage.
What happens next depends on company policy. The manager to whom the report was made may be required to complete an investigation, speaking to all parties involved and documenting everything. The manager may be required to forward the initial report and documentation to human resources instead of performing the investigation by him or herself.
It is possible that there may not be enough evidence presented in order for any disciplinary action to be taken. The manager can advise the employee on what kind of evidence is helpful. Employees should save any communications from the person who is accused of harassment that are relevant, for example text messages, emails, or notes should be saved and not deleted or thrown away. Witnesses to the incidents are also helpful.
Finally, offering appropriate discipline is important as part of bringing closure to the situation. Cooperating with the authorities may be a part of this. Even if a situation is not able to be prosecuted, a company’s policies concerning appropriate behavior may still require disciplinary action to be taken. Providing access to counseling may also be necessary.
Question #2: The reporter from the e-Activity concludes by stating that members of the Senate Armed Forces Committee believe, "You can't change the culture without first changing the system." Differentiate between what you believe constitutes "the culture" of sexual harassment and what you believe constitutes "the system" in the reporter's statement. Defend or criticize the statement made by the Senate Armed Forces Committee.
The statement by the Senate Armed Forces Committee, that “You can’t change the culture without first changing the system” is true, and the failure of the military to be able to successfully deal with sexual harassment and assault situations is an unfortunate example of a broken system. According to the CBS News article, the Senate Armed Services Committee wants “to relieve commanders of their power to decide who gets prosecuted in sexual assault cases and who doesn't” (Martin 2013). What seems wrong about this situation is that the entire decision about whether or not a particular situation can be prosecuted is left in the hands of one authority figure.
There are a lot of reasons why this system does not work, for instance, Commanders could reject a reported situation because they do not like the person reporting the problem, they may prefer to maintain the appearance that there is nothing wrong with the behavior of people under their command, they may simply see it as unimportant drama, and so forth. This broken system leads to a culture in which people being harassed are left with doubts that their situation will be investigated, taken seriously, or that anything at all will be done if they report it. They may have heard horror stories about what other Commanders have done, and have no confidence that they will be treated fairly. Until a system is created and enforced in which employees have confidence, a culture of harassment can persist.
References
Koobs, Darren (22 Dec. 2010). 5 Steps for Managers to Deal With Sexual Harassment. Yahoo! Voices. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/5-steps-managers-deal-sexual-harassment-7399112.html
Martin, David (13 Jun. 2013). Military Brass Vow: Sexual Assault Now a Priority. CBS Evening News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/military-brass-vow-sexual-assault-issue-now-a-priority/
