At its recent edition of the ‘Business Series’, the University of Edinburgh Business School (UEBS) collaborated with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) to share practices, ideas and research-supported facts on this grave and complex problem. Chaired by Dr Lila Skountridaki, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Studies at UEBS, the panelists contributed their thoughts, prevailing organisational practices, and suggestions for approaching, mitigating and preventing sexual harassment at workplaces.
Here, Flavia Da Costa, student in MSc International Human Resource Management shares her key takeaways and reflections.
The first presenter, Dr Ji-Won Song, Lecturer in Human Resource Management/Employee Relations at UEBS, shared insights from his recent research focusing on the experience of Asian women facing sexual harassment at workplaces in the UK. Through this research, he explored the role played by intersecting identities in shaping vulnerability to such encounters, as well as subsequent responses and reporting. He elaborated on the findings that highlighted the role played by stereotyping and racial and ethnic discrimination in driving and encouraging sexual harassment at workplaces. He further discussed the inherent barriers within organisations that inadvertently hinder reporting. He followed this with recommendations for bridging this gap, through measures including but not limited to mandatory sexual harassment prevention training, third-party oversight, associations and mentoring networks, and intersectionality informed policies.
The second presentation was by Prof Dennis Nickson, Professor in Service Work and Employment at the University of Strathclyde. His presentation focused on sexual harassment by third-parties within the Scottish hospitality Industry and highlighted this contextual occurrence of sexual harassment to be a gendered phenomenon, with victims mostly being women, and often unaware of their rights and available support. He also detailed organisational shortcomings in preventing and reporting sexual harassment by a third-party, as well as the developments in the legal landscape that cater towards overcoming these lacunae. Prof Nickson ended his presentation with a question to the audience, asking them to reflect on how customer-oriented service organisations may create a culture that encourages proactive bystander behaviour from all stakeholders, to prevent and mitigate sexual harassment at the workplace by third-parties.
Finally, Emma Kilpatrick, Lead HR Consultant in Employee Relations and Policy at the City of Edinburgh Council, shared insights into the research and action taken by the Council to prevent sexual harassment and support their employees. She highlighted the difficulties that large-scale employers face when developing policies that apply to a large and diverse workforce, and the role accrediting bodies play in assisting organisations in achieving their sexual harassment prevention and support goals. Upon elaborating on the preventive measures undertaken by the Council, Emma concluded her presentation by emphasising the role of active bystandership, senior management support, trauma conscious reporting measures, aftercare and ongoing continuous support.
This event enabled attendees to reflect on prevailing orgnisational practices and recognise the scope for further preventive and support measures. The panelists also called for a case-sensitive approach to sexual harassment, and for employers to encourage preventive measures and victim support through organisational culture.
Sexual harassment does not occur in isolation. It calls for organisations to revisit and reflect on processes, policies and practices (or the lack thereof) that allow such behaviours to manifest. Every stakeholder has a role to play, and it is pertinent for organisations to recognise and capitalise it, to build a proactive workplace that not only prevents sexual harassment but also provides necessary support and aftercare to its employees.