The Sexual Harassment of Federal Employees: Gender, Leadership Status, and Organizational Tolerance for Abuses of Power

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine E Tinkler ◽  
Jun Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Civilian Workforce ◽  
Women's Power ◽  
Merit Systems Protection Board ◽  
Federal Workforce ◽  
Merit Systems ◽  
Workplace Power

Abstract Theory and research suggest that sexual harassment is often a dominance strategy used to undermine women’s power, but the precise relationships between government employees’ workplace power, organizational climate, and vulnerability to particular types of sexual harassment remain under-specified. This study analyzes data from the 2016 US Merit Systems Protection Board survey of the federal civilian workforce (the most comprehensive and up-to-date national data on workplace sexual harassment) to test predictions about how employees’ workplace power and their agency’s efforts to mitigate abuses of power affect their likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment. Findings reveal that women in leadership positions report more sexual harassment than non-leaders, and that team leaders (i.e., those without formal supervisory authority) and executives (i.e., those with the most authority) report more sexual harassment than women in middle management. At the organizational level, sexual harassment occurs in workplaces with higher levels of non-sexual aggression and among employees who perceive their agency as less proactive in preventing and responding to social inequity. Taken together, findings suggest that sexual harassment is a dominance strategy not unlike other forms of aggression used to undermine women in power, and that workplace climates that are effective at mitigating abuses of power reduce the likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment. These results have implications for how government agencies can implement policies that not only prevent harassment but also promote democracy and equity among an increasingly diverse federal workforce.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose L. Siuta ◽  
Mindy E. Bergman
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Sexual Coercion ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Organizational Power

Business and management conceptualizations of sexual harassment have been informed by both legal and psychological definitions. From the psychological perspective, sexual harassment behaviors include harassment based on one’s gender, enacting unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion. The most recent psychological theories of sexual harassment acknowledge that it is a gendered experience motivated by the societal stratification of gender and not by sexual gratification. Harassing behaviors negatively impact individual well-being. Well-documented workplace effects of sexual harassment include reduced job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and productivity, and increased job stress, turnover, withdrawal, and conflict. Sexual harassment negatively affects target’s psychological and physical well-being, including increases in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms, emotional exhaustion, headaches, sleep problems, gastric distress, and upper respiratory problems. All of these individual-level effects can result in financial decrements for the target and the organization. Both individual and organizational factors predict sexual harassment. Women are more likely to experience sexual harassment, as well as minoritized persons, with women who embody more than one minority identity being the most likely to experience sexual harassment. This finding supports the interpretation of sexual harassment as motivated by reinforcing societal power hierarchies. Other individual factors such as sexual orientation, age, education level, and marital status are also related to experiencing sexual harassment. At the organizational level, organizational climate, job-gender context, and relative power between the harasser and the target predict sexual harassment. Organizational climates that are more tolerant of sexual harassment produce more sexual harassment. In addition, as masculinity of a work context increases, so does sexual harassment for women. Lastly, those with lower organizational power are more likely to experience sexual harassment, particularly by people with higher levels of power; however, contrapower harassment (harassment of individuals with higher organizational power by those with lower organizational power) can also occur. Reporting harassment to organizational authorities has been theorized to lead to positive outcomes, but reporting rates are low. This may reflect findings that procedures for reporting are often unclear and that reporting often leads to worse outcomes for targets of harassment than their non-reporting peers. The two most common approaches to measuring sexual harassment are direct query (explicitly ask about sexual harassment) or behavior experiences (ask respondents about how many sexually harassing behaviors they have experienced). A few considerations for the methodology used in these studies include inconsistency in conceptual or operational definitions of sexual harassment, the framing of a study, the retrospective nature of research asking about past experiences, and the sampling methodology used. A number of gaps remain in the documentation and understanding of sexual harassment phenomena, which intersect with some research practices and challenges. These include (a) the need to take into account factors other than incidence rates, such as perceived severity of experiences; (b) further examination of how multiple minority statuses and intersectional oppression affect harassment; (c) the importance of conducting research on harassment perpetrators; and (d) the examination of culturally informed topics related to sexual harassment, particularly outside Western countries.

Understanding the Impact of Bullying in a Unionized U.S. Public Sector Workforce

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazen El Ghaziri ◽  
Shellie Simons ◽  
Jane Lipscomb ◽  
Carla L. Storr ◽  
Kathleen McPhaul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Bargaining Unit ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Organizational Impact ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

Background: Workplace Bullying (WPB) can have a tremendous, negative impact on the victims and the organization as a whole. The purpose of this study was to examine individual and organizational impact associated with exposure to bullying in a large U.S. unionized public sector workforce. Methods: A cross-sectional Web-based survey was conducted among 16,492 U.S. state government workers. Survey domains included demographics, negative acts (NAs) and bullying, supportiveness of the organizational climate, and individual and organizational impacts of bullying. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the impact among respondents who reported exposure to bullying. Findings: A total of 72% participants responded to the survey (n = 11,874), with 43.7% (n = 5,181) reporting exposure to NAs and bullying. A total of 40% (n = 4,711) participants who experienced WPB reported individual impact(s) while 42% ( n = 4,969) reported organization impact(s). Regular NA was associated with high individual impact (negatively impacted them personally; odds ratio [OR] = 5.03) when controlling for other covariates including: female gender (OR =1.89) and job tenure of 6 to 10 years (OR = 1.95); working in a supportive organizational climate and membership in a supportive bargaining unit were protective of high impact (OR = 0.04 and OR = 0.59, respectively). High organizational impact (transferring to another position) was associated with regular NA and bullying (OR = 16.26), female gender (OR = 1.55), providing health care and field service (OR = 1.68), and protective effect of organizational climate (OR = 0.39). We found a dose-response relationship between bullying and both individual and organizational-level impact. Conclusion/Application to Practice: Understanding the impacts of WPB should serve to motivate more workplaces and unions to implement effective interventions to ameliorate the problem by enhancing the organizational climate, as well as management and employee training on the nature of WPB and guidance on reporting.

The individual and organizational level effects of TQM practices on job satisfaction

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel I. Prajogo ◽  
Brian Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
A Company

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the multi-level relationship between people-related total quality management (TQM) practices and employee job satisfaction. The authors draw upon organizational climate theory to hypothesize that TQM is related to job satisfaction at the individual employee level, as well as at the organizational level in the form of shared perceptions of TQM practices in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach Multi-level modelling was used to test the study hypotheses. The sample was drawn from 201 employees working in 23 organizations in Australia. Findings The findings show that people-related TQM practices are positively related to job satisfaction at both individual and organizational levels, with a stronger effect on employee attitudes observed at the organizational level. Research limitations/implications The statistically significant multi-level relationship between people-related TQM practices and job satisfaction extends the findings of previous studies conducted only at the individual level; thus, supporting the sustainability of TQM as a management principle at a company-wide level. Practical implications The findings broadly support the implementation of people-related TQM practices as part of a strategy of creating a “high performance” climate in organizations, which in turn, will likely to positively affect both individual and organizational performance. Social implications From a wider social perspective, the implementation of TQM practices as a company-wide initiative could facilitate greater corporate social responsibility of the organization. Such practices as training, involving, and empowering employees can promote social commitment by valuing employees as one important stakeholder. Originality/value This is the first empirical study to the best of the author’s knowledge that uses multi-level modelling to examine the relationship between TQM practices and employee attitudes such as job satisfaction.

Speak softly and carry a big stick: How contract representatives deal with problems

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-382
Author(s):  
Dennis M. Daley
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Successful Completion ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Contract Termination ◽  
Merit Systems Protection Board ◽  
Contracting Process ◽  
Merit Systems ◽  
Perceived Outcomes ◽  
The U.S

The contracting process is fraught with difficulties. While successful completion of a contract is the goal, problems and challenges often arise. This requires skills in negotiation or mediation. Dealing with these problems, even if it means recommending contract termination, is part of the job of the contract representatives who oversee the specific projects. Data from the Contracting Officer Representatives survey conducted by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (2005) is used. An index of perceived outcomes (deliverables or services were timely, of high quality, complete, contributed to the agency mission, fair and reasonable, and of good value) was constructed. Roughly, half the respondents indicated that they had had to deal with a problem or challenge. Problem-solving actions (discussions with contactors and other governmental officials, the submission of official documentations, and the recommendation of non-payment or termination sanctions) were submitted to a regression analysis (R2 = .19). From a dozen options, only discussion of the problem with contractors and with their own supervisors along with the recommendation of contract termination registered some meaningful importance (Standardized Betas .1 to .2).

Veterans Should Be Included Too

2022 ◽  
pp. 1866-1883
Author(s):  
Yvonne O. Hunter-Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Career Development ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Career Transition ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Job Retention ◽  
Civilian Workforce ◽  
Organizational Resistance ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Transitional Challenges ◽  
The Military

The transitioning of veterans from the military world to the civilian world and by extension the civilian workforce is a critical career transition. Despite their motivation and resilience, veterans still encounter a multiplicity of challenges when transitioning to the civilian workforce, which quite often has a rippling impact on their attainment of employment, job retention, and career development within the civilian sector. An added layer to the transitional challenge for veterans is organizational resistance to promote diversity and inclusion policies and practices, specifically regarding veterans. On this premise, this chapter aims to: 1) Discuss the transitional challenges of veterans to the civilian workforce and 2) Provide implementation strategies at an organizational level to promote diversity and inclusion, specifically regarding veterans.

scholarly journals Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and the Impact of Workplace Power

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 237802311985389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent J. Roscigno
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Workplace Relations ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Interaction Modeling ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Workplace Power

Research on workplace discrimination has tended to focus on a singular axis of inequality or a discrete type of closure, with much less attention to how positional and relational power within the employment context can bolster or mitigate vulnerability. In this article, the author draws on nearly 6,000 full-time workers from five waves of the General Social Survey (2002–2018) to analyze discrimination, sexual harassment, and the extent to which occupational status and vertical and horizontal workplace relations matter. Results demonstrate important and persistent race, gender, and age vulnerabilities, with positive vertical (i.e., supervisory) and horizontal (i.e., coworker) relations generally reducing the likelihood of discriminatory and sexually harassing encounters. Interaction modeling further reveals a heightened likelihood of both gender and age discrimination for those in higher status occupational positions but uniform vulnerabilities across the occupational hierarchy when it comes to women’s experiences of sexual harassment and minority encounters with racial discrimination.

scholarly journals How innovative climate leads to project success: the moderating role of gender and work culture

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-430
Author(s):  
Ambreen Sarwar ◽  
Muhammad Kashif Imran ◽  
Zafar-Uz-Zaman Anjum ◽  
Umer Zahid
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Work Behavior ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Work Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender And Work ◽  
Innovative Climate ◽  
Innovative Work

Purpose In modern times, innovation is considered as a vital component of sustainable competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to identify how innovation at the individual level [innovative work behavior (IWB)] and at the organizational level [innovative organizational climate (IOC)] affects the chances of success of a particular project. Additionally, the moderating effect of gender and work culture on the relation between innovative climate and behavior is tested in the study. Design/methodology/approach Survey technique was used to collect data from 425 employees working in project departments at the executive, middle level and senior level management in the paint manufacturing industry of Pakistan. Multiple regression, as well as Preacher and Hayes (2004) tests, were applied to test the hypotheses. Findings The result of the data analysis showed that IWB acts as a mediator between IOC and project success (PS), thereby supporting the hypothesized model of innovation and PS. Work culture was supported as a moderator; however, no moderating effect of gender was validated by the results. Research limitations/implications The management must make sure that to maximize the rate of success of projects, innovative work climate within the organizations and departments be given due importance. In addition to this, personnel’s individual innovation capabilities must also be enhanced by taking steps toward improvement through training and development. Originality/value Though attention has been given to research in innovation in light of other related variables, its relation to PS remains yet to be studied. The effect of gender and work culture on innovation in Pakistani paint industry was long over-due which has been addressed by this study.

Performance Appraisal Problems in the Public Sector: Examining Supervisors’ Perceptions

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Chun Lin ◽  
J. Edward Kellough
Keyword(s):  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Employee Perceptions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Merit Systems Protection Board ◽  
Merit Systems ◽  
Appraisal Processes ◽  
The U.S

Employee perceptions of performance appraisal processes have received considerable attention in the public management literature, but the views of supervisors who actually conduct the appraisals have received relatively little consideration. This article addresses that gap in the literature by examining supervisors’ perceptions of individual employee performance appraisal in the U.S. federal service in an attempt to identify structural and operational problems associated with that system as viewed by those responsible for making it work. Data are drawn from a Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), Merit Principles Survey, which contained a section asking supervisors to evaluate nine potential problems associated with performance appraisal. Responses indicated that inflated ratings, flawed standards, and a lack of support were the most problematic aspects of the appraisal process. An agency’s use of performance-based rewards, a supervisor’s belief that his or her own performance is assessed objectively, and supervisor age are consistent predictors of supervisors’ perceptions.

scholarly journals How and when customer feedback influences organizational health

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 624-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Kipfelsberger ◽  
Dennis Herhausen ◽  
Heike Bruch
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Organizational Health ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Emotional Climate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Feedback ◽  
Affective Climate ◽  
Empowerment Climate ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how and when customers influence organizational climate and organizational health through their feedback. Based on affective events theory, the authors classify both positive and negative customer feedback (PCF and NCF) as affective work events. The authors expect that these events influence the positive affective climate of an organization and ultimately organizational health, and that the relationships are moderated by empowerment climate. Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze survey data obtained from a sample of 178 board members, 80 HR representatives, and 10,953 employees from 80 independent organizations. Findings – The findings support the expected indirect effects. Furthermore, empowerment climate strengthened the impact of PCF on organizational health but does not affect the relationship between NCF and organizational health. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design is a potential limitation of the study. Practical implications – Managers should be aware that customer feedback influences an organization’s emotional climate and organizational health. Based on the results organizations might actively disseminate PCF and establish an empowerment climate. With regard to NCF, managers might consider the potential affective and health-related consequences for employees and organizations. Social implications – Customers are able to contribute to an organization’s positive affective climate and to organizational health if they provide positive feedback to organizations. Originality/value – By providing first insights into the consequences of both PCF and NCF on organizational health, this study opens a new avenue for scientific inquiry of customer influences on employees at the organizational level.

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