Sexual Harassment in the Workplace?

On June 21, 2019, the human resources director at Renaissance Packaging and Manufacturing Ltd., in Nagpur, India, was feeling a considerable amount of stress. As the presiding officer of the company’s internal complaints committee, she was tasked with handling a sexual harassment complaint filed by the company’s chief engineer at the plant. In her complaint, the chief engineer accused the production manager, her superior, of sexual harassment. The internal complaints committee had to make an unbiased decision based on the specific details provided in the complaint. However, the human resources director worried that the situation raised underlying cultural issues at the plant, including a lack of awareness and sensitivity regarding interactions among male and female employees. How could the internal complaints committee resolve the complaint without creating hostility between the two co-workers and other employees? What kinds of organizational changes could help the company address sexual harassment in the workplace? What could the human resources director do to promote a positive and welcoming attitude toward female employees at the plant, especially women in leadership positions?

This case is suitable for courses at the graduate and postgraduate level. In courses that cover organizational behaviour and human resources, students can learn how systemic and cultural interventions can help cultivate gender awareness and sensitivity in the workplace and make it more equitable. In courses that cover business communication, students can learn how culture plays a role in perpetuating gender stereotypes and how it can be leveraged in dealing with sexual harassment. This case can also help students understand the importance of making unbiased decisions in precarious situations at work. It is also suitable for executive development programs on the subjects of sexual harassment in the workplace and women in positions of leadership development. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to<ul><li>recognize and avoid gender bias, which can arise during the resolution and decision-making process in a sexual harassment complaint;</li><li>create awareness and cultivate an environment of sensitivity among all male and female employee interactions;</li><li>learn how systemic and cultural changes can help eliminate problems such as gender-based harassment in the workplace; and</li><li>recognize the importance of having gender equality in the workplace and ways to create a positive and welcoming attitude toward women in leadership positions.</li></ul>

• Cross-gender interactions
• Decision-making biases
• Organizational Culture
• Women Leadership
• Gender sensitive workplace
• Gender equality