Harassment in the Workplace
There are numerous ethical issues in the workplace. As a student that wishes to pursue a career in Human Resource Management, one ethical topic that appeals to me personally is that of harassment in the workplace. Harassment is often defined as “any unwelcome or unwanted conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or an aversion towards another person” (Workplace Harassment). An unwelcome behavior is defined as anything that “the employee did not solicit, instigate or provoke, and the employee regarded the conduct as undesirable or offensive” (Workplace Harassment). One thing to keep in mind is that anyone that is affected by the behavior of the offender can file a complaint of harassment. This is not limited to the person that is actually being harassed.
There can be several different types of harassment in the workplace, including racial, ethnical, religious, age, disability, language, whistle blower, and the most well-known, sexual. Before going into the ethics of harassment, the laws against it, and how to handle and prevent it, I will briefly explain each type. The first two I mentioned, racial and ethnical, often go hand in hand. This type of harassment occurs when someone says or does something negative to another worker simply because of their race or ethnic background. This can be comments made in comparison of the abilities of different races or ethnic groups, or even jokes the offender does not think are insulting. Next is religious harassment. This type of harassment would include any comments or actions that use someone 's choice of religion against them. An example of this would be if an employer continuously makes comments to the employee about religious practices that the employee participates in, even after the employee has made it clear that he is uncomfortable with the comments. Harassment because of an individual’s age is an increasing issue. This can occur when someone repeatedly ridicules or compares an older person’s work
There can be several different types of harassment in the workplace, including racial, ethnical, religious, age, disability, language, whistle blower, and the most well-known, sexual. Before going into the ethics of harassment, the laws against it, and how to handle and prevent it, I will briefly explain each type. The first two I mentioned, racial and ethnical, often go hand in hand. This type of harassment occurs when someone says or does something negative to another worker simply because of their race or ethnic background. This can be comments made in comparison of the abilities of different races or ethnic groups, or even jokes the offender does not think are insulting. Next is religious harassment. This type of harassment would include any comments or actions that use someone 's choice of religion against them. An example of this would be if an employer continuously makes comments to the employee about religious practices that the employee participates in, even after the employee has made it clear that he is uncomfortable with the comments. Harassment because of an individual’s age is an increasing issue. This can occur when someone repeatedly ridicules or compares an older person’s work
References: Burnick, D. (Feb.13, 2010). Current Events in Alabama: $2.7 Million Harassment Verdict, Violence in the Workplace and More. Retrieved from http://www.alabamaemploymentlawblog.com/2010/02/articles/title-vii-2/current-events- in-alabma-27-million-harassment-verdict-violence-in-the-workplace-and-more/. Harassment. (Printed March 16, 2013). Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/harassment.cfm. Workplace Harassment. (Printed March 16, 2013). Retrieved from http://www.strategichr.com/shrsweb2/harassment_01.shtml.