Is There A Correct Way to Handle Sexual Harassment at Work?
Sexual harassment in the workplace is unfortunately very common. Students and younger workers, especially, are vulnerable to being mistreated. Because of their need to impress and their lack of knowledge, predators will often select students to become the victims of their harassment.
Rutgers University is finally taking a stand and acknowledging the fact that harassment is happening to their own students. Steve Flamisch, the press officer at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR), released an article on December 5th, 2017, that described an interview he had with James M. Cooney, an SMLR assistant teaching professor. Cooney is also an attorney who has represented plaintiffs in sexual harassment cases and is leading one of “two new professional workshops designed to help employers prevent and properly investigate claims of sexual harassment in the workplace.”
The article — “How to Handle Sexual Harassment at Work” — was aimed to inform people of what exactly they should do in case they fall victim to sexual harassment at work. Flamisch first requested that Cooney describe what exactly constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace and what makes it criminal. Flamisch then explained what workplace sexual harassment is, what creates a hostile work environment, and when criminal laws are usually implemented.
After he defined the idea of sexual harassment, Cooney began answering questions of what steps one should take if they are being harassed and the consequences of being a victim or the person doing the harassing. Although Cooney makes good about what one should do if they are being harassed, and why they should do it, the points he makes are very subjective. For instance, Cooney says that “a victim should maintain a diary or log, wholly separate from any other document, to record dates, times and other details of sexual harassment incidents.” Although he does argue that this could help recalling certain dates, times, and scenarios, this can be extremely difficult for some people to do. If one is confined to a work place that does not allow for much free time or a place where everyone is in relatively close quarters, it can prove tough to note every instance that happens. Furthermore, the idea of it being written down somewhere can be frightening to some people in case these documents become feasible for the harasser themselves to find. If this were to happen, the situation could become even more dangerous for the victim.
Another point that Cooney brings up is that “the worker should definitely consider filing a complaint under his or her employer’s sexual harassment policy,” which is true, however, this is extremely difficult in some cases. He even admits that a victim going straight to their supervisor could vary based on the situation. In some cases, the harasser can even be the supervisor, which makes it much harder to tell someone about the situation. When filling a complaint under the sexual harassment policy, it is likely that there will need to be some sort of proof or further investigating, which could ultimately end up at a dead end.
Cases of sexual harassment in the workplace are outstandingly difficult to pinpoint and prove. Although Cooney has very good suggestions to assist victims in getting the right evidence and help, I feel as though he fails to represent how burdensome these situations may be.
