„‚ CONDITIONS THAT HINDER EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

no female permanent secretaries in the civil service. In addition, only one in every two
hundred company directors are women, even though more than 40 percent of privatesector
workers are female. Labour Research magazine published a report early in 1992
that showed that although women represent 49 percent of all nonindustrial civil servants
in the U.K, fewer than 7 percent are at the levels of under-secretary or above (Mills,
1992).
THE COSTS OF SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT
The costs of sexual discrimination and harassment are many (Gracy-Robertson, Grant,
Richmond, & Woodard, 1992). First, the effects on the victims include psychological
damage, loss of productivity, loss of wages and other benefits, loss of employment and
future benefits, and so on. If a claim or lawsuit is filed, there may be compensatory or
punitive damages. Second, the effects on others in the work force include psychological
damage (such as anger, resentment, fear), loss of productivity, loss of esteem for the
harasser and/or supervisors involved, and possible formation of factions in the work
environment as people “take sides.” All of this can severely impact the contribution that
workers can make to the organization.
Investigating or dealing with a complaint also has costs: People may need to be
reassigned or removed from positions; inquiries or in-depth investigations may need to
be conducted; in-house personnel may be required to spend time on this or outside
personnel hired to conduct briefings, interviews, and so on; there are administrative
costs; and there are counseling costs (which may be both internal and external). Other
costs include absenteeism; rescheduling; training of new employees; impact on other
workers, supervisors, and personnel relationships; and loss of morale.
In an article entitled “Sexual Harassment: After the Headlines” in Training
magazine, Lee (1992, p. 25) states, “Most corporate sexual-harassment training
programs aim to protect the company from litigation by familiarizing employees with
the company’s policy and internal complaint procedures. Often that knowledge brings a
jump in the number of reported incidents—considered a positive sign.” Later in the
article Lee says, “Lawsuit costs are high...to everyone involved.... Everything you can
do to prevent sexual harassment before a lawsuit occurs is worth every penny” (p. 25).
LEGISLATION ADDRESSES THE ISSUES (BUT NOT THE CAUSES)
The U.S., Canada, and the U.K. all have legislation that prohibits discrimination based
on factors such as gender, race or national origin, age, disability, and so on. All three
provide remedies for sexual discrimination and sexual harassment. Furthermore, all
three hold the employing organization responsible for the actions of its employees and
for establishing a working environment that is free from unlawful discrimination and
harassment.
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 6, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer ❚❘ 427