Sexual harassement at work place: Exploring the experience and attitudes of employees

Pages: 1171-1176
Avneet Batra and Simran Kohli (Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, New Delhi)

The aim of the current study was to explore the experience and attitude of employees about various aspects of Sexual Harassment at workplace. Thus, a Sexual Harassment Survey was constructed by the researchers. The items in the survey were framed on the basis of the review of literature related to the topic of sexual harassment. It was ensured that the survey fulfills the organization’s needs. The survey was administered on a sample of 140 employees (70 males & 70 females) belonging to the age group of 25- 40 years, with a working tenure of at least 2 years. After this, the results were computed and analyzed using percentage analysis. Overall the results indicated that at the experiential level sexual harassment in the form of un-welcoming sexual comments, jokes and gestures was prevalent in the organization. The female employees of the organization experienced these relatively more than male employees. However at the attitudinal level, it was found that most of the male and female employees believed that men are not always the perpetrator of sexual harassment and can also be victims of such an act. It was also found that employees do not make false allegations about sexual harassment with the intention to extort money from the employer.