The case of the hidden harassment.
The past year has seen a growing public awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace. The question of what constitutes sexual harassment and how to recognize it has been debated in the news, the courts, and Congress. This HBR case study is less concerned with defining it than with examining what a manager should do about it. When Filmore Trust manager Jerry Tarkwell found out one of his employees was being sexually harassed on the job, he thought he knew exactly what to do. Following company policy, he immediately notified the bank's equal employment office. Then he called Jill McNair, the employee being harassed. Her response dumbfounded him. "You had no right to call EEO before talking to me," McNair said angrily. Do you have any idea what could happen to me and to my career if people find out about this?" Tarkwell didn't understand; McNair wasn't to blame. He believed the only person who should be worried was the harasser. Tarkwell tried to spell out the procedure for her. "All you have to do is write a letter and ..." McNair cut him off. "If this gets investigated by EEO, everyone in the building could be questioned. I'll probably get transferred, and then I won't have a chance at promotion. And who'd want to work with me? Every man in the company would be afraid I'd report him if he so much as opened a door for me."(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Niven
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Wang
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Rowe
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Taga
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Vladeck
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Garron
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D003219:Confidentiality; D003625:Data Collection; D004648:Employee Grievances / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004995:Ethics, Professional; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D015279:Organizational Culture; D011050:Policy Making; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce