Blog - Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Mental illness and sexual harassment

mental illness and sexual harassment
Stress leads to poor health and work outcomes. Get assistance from an appropriate medical practitioner. Give us a call for workplace advice. Act and complain early, don’t suffer in silence. You cannot be dismissed for complaining

Mental illness and sexual harassment

Mental illness

According to WHO (World health organization) A mental disorder is characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour.  It is usually associated with distress or impairment in important areas of functioning. Discussing Mental illness and sexual harassment and the effects it has on the individual is important.

When mental health difficulties qualify as a disability, an employer may terminate an employee on the basis of incapacity if they follow a fair capability process and consider what reasonable adjustments can be made before making a decision. Mental illness, whether it be anxiety, stress, depression, or another condition, can be extremely difficult for employees.

If the condition starts to affect a worker’s output. You need to think about what you can do to fix it. If the victim is terminated due to mental illness caused by sexual harassment at workplace it is unlawful, why victim is accountable even though the company and the harasser should be accountable about it and action should be taken against the company and the harasser. It is important to raise voice against unfair dismissal and sexual harassment.

When the physical effects of sexual assault or sexual abuse fade, the impact continues.

Anxiety disorders, eating disorders, PTSD, sleep problems, depression, and suicidal thoughts were considerably more frequent in sexual assault victims than in the general population, according to one study. Without expert mental health care, it could have terrible consequences. 90 percent of Women who experience sexual assault start to have immediate symptom of acute stress. Some people can recover and move on and continue their life through social help and through other sources but others can be so stressed which can interfere their professional and personal life as well.

There are some people who may think that reacting on harassment is dramatic or how harassment is harmful mentally and physically, this type of thinking can lead to complications which may bring damage to the victim. The memory of sexual harassment can haunt the victim and can cause long lasting effects on victim’s mental health. When they come forward, sexual harassment victims already encounter a number of challenges. Their harassers might take revenge. They risk being rejected by their colleagues. They might lose their job. They can be considered liars.

sexual harassed by someone with a mental illness
Yes it is unacceptable, but sexual harassment still happens. It must be stamped out. I’ll say it again, excise what is referred to as a workplace right. (general protections claim) Go to the owner of the business, human resources, the Fair work Commission, or the AHRC (Australian Human Rights Commission). Call us

Examples of sexual harassment

A few examples of sexual harassment are:

  • Making explicit or implicit demands for sexual favors as a condition of employment or progress.
  • Actual physical sexual assault.
  • requests for sexual favors
  • Verbal abuse with a sexual tone, such as comments about sexual behaviour or sexual orientation.
  • Unwanted physical contact or touching.
  • Inappropriate sexual approaches.
  • Bringing up sexual topics during conversations at work, functions, or in other settings.
  • Feeling under pressure to engage in sexual activity.
  • either exposing oneself or engaging in sexual activity with oneself
  • Unwanted texts, emails, or images with explicit sexual content.

Both the workplace and a learning institution like a school or university are subject to sexual harassment. It may occur in a variety of situations, such as after-hours discussions, encounters in the halls, and interactions between coworkers or employees outside of the workplace. There is the added complication of the power imbalance between the harasser and the victim. At AWNA we find a lot the sexual harassment is my males in their 60’s in professional positions, business owners and partners in law and accounting firms. They are experienced, educated individuals who simply should know better. They are clearly using the power imbalance factor to their advantage.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORKPLACE

Sexually based harassment is forbidden. Sexual harassment occurs when acceptance of this behavior is made an implied term or condition of employment or unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favour, and other verbal or physical actions of a sexual nature are made.

According to a study workplace sexual harassment is responsible for mental conditions such as stress, depression and anxiety which lower organizational performance and productivity. The consequences of sexual harassment at work are severe and extensive. Of course, the harshest impacts are felt by the victim of sexual harassment. Among these are emotional effects like depression and repressed anger. In addition to psychological effects, sexual harassment at work can have negative financial and physical effects. The consequences of sexual harassment at work are by no means limited to emotional ones. There are physical responses to sexual harassment since a person’s physical and emotional well-being is closely linked.

Look at the stress a single mother with two kids to support when she receives sexual advances. Mental illness and sexual harassment dovetail into each other.

Female groped in workplace
Female starts to get groped when she was only wanting to fit in. There is no excuse even if this behaviour occurs at a after hours function, Xmas party whatever. Say stop and mean it.

Ways of sexual harassment in a workplace

There are two ways that sexual harassment in a workplace might occur:

You receive unwanted requests for dates repeatedly and without your consent, unpleasant gestures or touching, jokes or practical jokes, intimidating actions, or pornographic materials from someone you work with. You are the target of this behavior because of your gender identity. These violations must be serious and/or frequent. This indicates that either the harassment is frequent enough to interfere with your ability to perform your job properly or that it is severe enough that even a single incidence can impair your performance. You must also demonstrate that the harassment was caused by your employer.

The second method hostile workplace harassment happens is when your employer treats you less favorably than your coworkers of various sexes simply because of your gender identity. This may involve discriminatory hiring, hours, salaries, promotions, work schedules, work assignments, benefits for time off or sick leave, employment evaluations, disciplinary actions, and termination (firing).

SAFE WORKPLACE FOR EMPLOYEE

Workplace policies

Ensure that your workplace has anti-sexual harassment policy. Company’s have to be committed to providing a safe workplace to their employees. A workplace should be free from sexual harassment. A company should have a strict punishment against harasser. A company will have a zero tolerance policy for any kind of sexual harassment at work, take all incidences seriously, and quickly look into any claims or allegations made. If someone is determined to have sexually harassed someone else, there will be disciplinary action taken, which could result in dismissal. All allegations of sexual harassment will be dealt with respect and confidentiality. Nobody will suffer as a result of their complaint.

Raise your voice against sexual harassment

Sexual harassment at work is also on the rise as a result of the increase in crimes against women. Anything from little indiscretions or annoying traits to the most serious kind, including sexual abuse and assault, even rape, could qualify. Women are typically viewed as the victims everywhere. The issue frequently arises from women’s tendency to avoid creating unneeded conflict at work. You should show leadership through zero tolerance, you should never tolerate harassment and you should raise your voice against it immediately. do not suffer in silence.

A workplace should create equality as a core principle. It is important to involve management and talk to your CEO or manager or someone you trust in your workplace, if the harassment issue is not able to solve at work place then it is your right to take it to higher authorities. An individual who have experienced sexual harassment must know or learn how to fight back.

Employee questioned over sexual harassment
Where do I begin? Employee being questioned as to what happened. Did he grab that female,? did he make those comments? Is he going to tell the truth? Are No!. The moment he does his job is gone. Denying the allegations is very convenient for some companies than they think they have no liability as there was no sexual harassment. Fortunately its not that simple for the company. Some accused employees then claim mental illness and sexual harassment. They tey and turn the whole thing around claim they are the victim.

Speak up when it happens

The best method to let a sexual harasser know that their behavior is inappropriate is to say “NO” loudly, forcefully, and without smiling when you are being harassed sexually. Say “NO” forcefully and clearly when asked to go somewhere, do something, answer a question, or participate in a situation that makes you feel uneasy. Do not be concerned about upsetting the other person or hurting their feelings. If you decide to bring charges later, objecting to the behavior as it happens will help. You have to build your case if your going to pursue a claim (we will help you).

CONCLUSION to Mental illness and sexual harassment

To be honest there is nothing in this article i haven’t said before. Its about empowerment, its about reinforcement. That you do have rights, you can stand up for yourself. Most matters settle confidentially, this is our preferred approach. There is nothing to gained by being on the news. Call us, get advice, it cost nothing.

Free Call 1800 333 666, 7 days a week

Sexual harassment is a wrong that is its also could be criminal act. For many organizations, this is an issue. The best way to handle it is to report any type of sexual harassment right away to the appropriate chain of command. Sexual assault is illegal. Sexual assault has a significant psychological impact on the victim. Workplace relationships can go leading to a harassment claim from the bitter individual. This is a liability to the company. Therefore, companies must enforce strict measures and policies as pertaining workplace relationships.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AUSTRALIA

No one, at any time or in any place deserves to be sexual harassed. Sexual harassment Australia is a team of workplace advisors. You don’t need to quit your job, you can take action against sexual harassment and take the matter to higher authorities with the help of sexual harassment Australia. You just need to take notes and collect evidence against your harasser like dates, places, times, conversation and any other information. Do you know, you can get compensation if you’re a victim of sexual harassment?

Employee sexual harassment
Get help, feel empowered. Don’t feel guilty for what’s happened regardless of the circumstances. Mental illness and sexual harassment both have to be avoided.

Sexual harassment Australia’s team will help you stand against harassment to protect and empower yourself. You have the right to work in a safe and comfortable workplace. There are so many good reviews about the sexual harassment Australia’s team, they have helped so many people and took stand against the harasser. We are proud of our staff and the outcomes we have got for our clients. Every information that you provide them will stay confidential. It is a great initiative for harassment victims. Teams like sexual harassment Australia is important for society it helps to build confidence and to raise voice against sexual harassment.