HARASSMENT
Harassment takes many forms.
Sexual harassment is the most obvious, and often the most painful and insulting, but harassment can be
racially motivated, unconscious, or even the result of ignorance regarding
persons with a disability. Gender harassment - verbal or physical mistreatment
women get, just because someone thinks they don't belong - can undermine job performance. Harassment can be just as
devastating in the form of isolating or excluding a worker from the
camaraderie on the job.
Sometimes it is difficult to separate the razing one
might get as an apprentice or a newcomer to the job site, from the hazing some
women receive when they are unwelcome on a job or are being tested to see what
their limits are.
There is a fine line between bantering and harassment,
and this line is different for every worker. Intent has a lot to do with it,
and only the individual initiating the behaviour really knows what they mean by
it. The rest of us have to guess, based on how we feel in response to the
behaviour. As one instructor said at a
Sexual harassment should not
be confused with workplace romance or flirtation. The distinction must be made
between mutual attraction involving consenting adults, and actions that are
of an unwanted or coercive nature.
Much harassment is an exhibition of power over
another person, such as the instructor who insisted that a female student lift a
battery weighing over 100 pounds,
and place it on a high shelf. When she had the battery waist-high, he told her to put
it down, and he placed her on probation for not using the proper technique (which she had not yet been
taught).
Whether the misuse of power takes the form of just
plain intimidating behaviour or is directed in a sexual manner, it undermines
the competence and comfort of the workers to whom it is directed. This
undermining, in turn, affects the productivity of the whole crew or classroom.
Although harassment is occasionally defended with
statements like “boys will be boys," such behaviour is not only
unacceptable, it is also illegal.
Sexual harassment has been
defined in a variety of ways. The definitions usually include mention of
unnecessary or unwanted touching or suggestive remarks or other verbal abuse,
leering at a person's body, demands for sexual favours, compromising
invitations, and physical assault. Some
definitions include the words, "any persistent (behaviour)"; others
mention “under the threat of reprisal."
Sexual harassment can also take less direct
forms, such as the case of a woman who came to class every day to find drawings
of female genitals on the blackboard labelled with her name, or the female
worker who was subjected to a constant postering of the common shop
space with pornographic material. These actions as well as the more direct
confrontations, have the capacity to create tension, anger, fear, and intimidation of women workers, in
other words: “a poisoned work environment.” Often, the other male workers don't
like it either.
There are also times when testing the
mettle of the new workers will inevitably take place. It is the responsibility
of instructors, job stewards, foremen, and employers to ensure that such
activities don't go beyond wholesome fun. It is essential that the women
workers make a clear response when behaviour is unacceptable. Keeping the lines
of communication open and speaking your mind with a smile on your face can
provide a place to stand when you need it. Assertiveness training can also help
both women and men, to distinguish between aggressive, passive or non-assertive
and assertive behaviour.
Most schools have conduct codes for
students that are the responsibility of instructors to enforce. Many industries
have collective agreements and most unions have constitutions that comment on
the respect required among fellow workers and between workers and management.
Sexual harassment, specifically named is being included in many of these
agreements. Other legal recourse on these issues is available through government
overseers of Human Rights, as well as through union contracts. In the case of
physical contact or dangerous mischief, there is always the option of action
through the police, and civil and criminal courts.
A clearly defined grievance procedure is
essential to a healthy work environment.
Workers or students should be advised of such procedures when they first
come on site. Open discussions that enable people to question and understand
what is considered to be harassment make the workplace safer for everyone.
Support of this kind is a valuable asset to assist women in feeling that they
have a right to be there. Knowing there is somewhere to go with a problem goes
a long way to helping workers cope on their own with everyday sorts of issues.
Marcia Braundy
For
Kootenay Women in Trades and Technology
Revised
2006