How an employer addresses the problem of unwanted sexual attention at work, from prevention to response, can either exacerbate harm or help alleviate it. To better understand how workplaces can embrace institutional courage, in a research study led by Christianne Corbett, Meghan Warner, and Jennifer Freyd, our interviewers spoke with 30 workers - who were diverse in terms of gender, race, age, and type of job worked - in the San Francisco Bay Area who had experienced unwanted sexual attention at work. In this Spotlight article, we focus on what we learned from the interviewees about prevention; i.e., ways that organizations can embody institutional courage by creating conditions under which workers are unlikely to experience unwanted attention at work.

Make expectations of worker behavior clear
First, our data suggest that when organizations make their expectations of worker behavior clear before any incident of unwanted attention occurs, workers feel safe and supported. As Gabrielle explained, she felt safe at her new job because “It is something that is always spoken about. There is a lot of transparency around it… people are just really honest about sexual harassment.” She describes a workplace culture that focuses on communication and expectation setting, rather than assuming unwanted attention at work is not an issue, or that everyone knows which behaviors are unacceptable. Her team frequently had conversations to make sure people felt comfortable at work. In contrast, interviewees described how, when management did not discuss unwanted attention, workers did not know to whom they could turn for support.

Provide comprehensive education about sexual harassment
In addition to messaging from workplace leadership, interviewees also felt safe when they received comprehensive education about sexual harassment. Stephanie explained why she appreciated the long training regarding sexual harassment that she received, “...I was shocked that they had this whole presentation….’You don’t deserve to be harassed’ and everything. I’ve never seen any kind of messaging like that before. So that was different… I was just surprised that anyone would care. Because usually harassment is normal. Because women deal with it every day and they just have to brush it off. It’s just emotional baggage they have to leave behind.” The education helped Stephanie feel supported because in her previous experience, harassment was considered normal. In contrast, many interviewees described brief trainings about harassment that were not taken seriously by management. In cases where education was inadequate, participants were not sure whether the unwanted attention they received was prohibited or to whom they could talk regarding a concern.

Employers can reduce sexual harassment by setting expectations and providing education
Taken together, interviewees provided important insights about how organizations can establish workplaces that incorporate institutional courage. Workers felt comfortable when their leadership regularly discussed unwanted attention in the workplace. Ongoing education about sexual harassment also helped interviewees know which behaviors they could report to whom. These interviews suggest that an employer can begin to incorporate principles of institutional courage with respect to harassment at work by regularly discussing which behaviors are unacceptable and providing resources for employees who feel uncomfortable at work.