Sex
Encouraging Witnesses to Report Sexual Harassment
Revealing sexual harassment is not just a victim’s responsibility.
Posted March 10, 2021 Reviewed by Chloe Williams
- Many victims believe that “silence is safer” when it comes to sexual harassment in the workplace, especially in economically challenging times.
- Researchers suggest that the heavy burden of reporting sexual harassment should not fall solely upon the shoulders of the victim, but that organizations should be involved in intervening in the social forces that facilitate silence.
- They suggest three categories of solutions: transforming social networks, capitalizing on social networks and circumventing social networks.
When sexual harassment in the workplace finally comes to light, we ask, “Why didn’t the victim say something sooner?” Perhaps the better question is, why didn’t we? Was the victim really the only witness to the inappropriate behavior? In many cases, especially with serial harassers, patterns make the predator. This means that prior inappropriate behavior was very likely observed by others.
But as I discuss in a previous post, regarding how to stop sexual harassment “from the boardroom to the bedroom,”[i] witnesses may downplay or deny the conduct to save their own jobs. Particularly in challenging times economically, other employees are motivated to keep their heads down and stay out of the fray. Unfortunately, however, this allows sexual harassment to continue.
Instead of leaving the uncomfortably heavy burden of deciding whether or not to report the perpetrator’s behavior solely upon the shoulders of the victim, researchers have suggested that a better practice is to broaden the scope of responsibility, and have outlined some ideas as to how to do it.
3 Network-Based Solutions to Break the Silence

M. Sandy Hershcovis et al. in “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil” (2021) identify ways in which organizations can use social networks to intervene within the social dynamics that facilitate silence in the midst of sexual harassment.[i] They note that social networks drive member beliefs and behaviors, and argue that when it comes to sexual harassment, specific network compositions and belief systems socially compel network silence, which allows harassment to continue.
Acknowledging that unfortunately, when it comes to sexual harassment, many victims believe that “silence is safer,” they endeavor to change that belief. Hershcovis et al. propose that instead of focusing on how to empower sexual harassment victims to be the spokespeople themselves, organizations should be the ones to intervene within the social forces that are responsible for broader silence at a network level. Their three suggested categories of network-based solutions are transforming social networks, capitalizing on social networks, and circumventing social networks. They suggest the following:
Transforming social networks could be done through strengthening intersex ties, closing holes within the social structure, and increasing the centrality of women within the organization.
Capitalizing on social networks can include increased education of central figures, and the use of professional cliques—to ensure that women are not excluded in ways that encourage silence and protect perpetrators. They suggest that here, for example, organizations could “co-opt male cliques” by replacing activities that are traditionally gendered in nature, such as golfing or playing poker, with activities that have more appeal to both genders, such as playing bridge. The goal is to “break the norm of exclusivity and disrupt the flow of myths,” which they note would have an additional benefit of reinforcing relationships for employees who are marginalized.
With respect to circumventing social networks, they note that because it might not always be possible to transform or capitalize on social networks, reporting sexual harassment can be moved outside of the organizations at issue. Acknowledging that this would constitute a “radical departure” from the conventional method of reporting internally, they also note that such conventional methods have failed to adequately address sexual harassment over the past several decades, which suggests the necessity for radical change.
And many victims and witnesses would agree, radical change is necessary.
Cultivating Positive Corporate Culture
Workplace harassment affects everyone. Such cases often involve not only “He said, she said,” but also “They saw.” From morale to social culture, misbehavior matters. Taking proactive measures to cultivate a workplace of trust and respect creates a healthy, productive environment for everyone.
References
[i] Hershcovis, M. Sandy, Ivana Vranjes, Jennifer L. Berdahl, and Lilia M. Cortina. 2021. “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil: Theorizing Network Silence around Sexual Harassment.” Journal of Applied Psychology, February. doi:10.1037/apl0000861.