Synthesizing what you have learned in this chapter and others, discuss the problem of harassment in the workplace. How would you define harassment? How important is the notion of "intent" when determining whether a behavior constitutes harassment? Why would you characterize harassment as a problem not only for the victim but also for the organization as a whole? What steps should you take to document and resolve matters of harassment if you are the victim or if you observe someone else being victimized?
Answer Key

Question

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The Answer is Ideal answers will identify harassment as an ethical problem. Harassment may include the use of verbal or nonverbal codes (or both), and may also involve listening behaviors, but will be defined as harassment because the victim is targeted for his or her race, ethnicity, religion, disability, or membership in some other group or class. Harassment is damaging to a person's sense of self and self-esteem and may make it very difficult for a person to function effectively within an organization. Harassment is a problem for organizations because it results in loss of productivity and higher turnover. A harassment lawsuit can cost the organization a significant amount of money and loss of its reputation-every year millions of dollars are lost due to sexual harassment lawsuits alone. The question of intent is somewhat irrelevant because of the transactional nature of communication-whether a message is intended or not, it can't be undone and it will affect others. Ethical communicators take responsibility for their intentional as well as unintentional messages. The following recommendations are given in the text in reference to sexual harassment but can be generalized for other forms of harassment. If harassment is observed, a victim (or observer) should •clearly and firmly tell the harasser that the advances or messages are not welcome •immediately report the incident to someone who can assist •document each incident in written form, including a description of the event, the date, time, the person(s) involved, and what action was taken

Synthesizing What You Have Learned in This Chapter and Others