Photo Credit: tomazl
Workdays can be challenging and stressful, so it’s unsurprising that colleagues will try to sprinkle humor through conversation. However, sometimes humor can have less than pure intentions. It can be made at the expense of women and minorities, and be used to make prejudiced beliefs more socially acceptable. Jokes have the potential to cause real harm and create a toxic work environment, which is why jokes can be a form of verbal harassment. In this blog, we will investigate how jokes that make light of violence, and jokes that reinforce bigotry against a certain group, must be taken seriously by employers.
For far too many women, jokes about violence against women and jokes about their sexual anatomy go unpunished in the workplace. In 2021, game developer company Activision Blizzard was reported to have an atmosphere in which rape jokes were commonplace alongside other misogynistic behaviors. These jokes are one facet of rape culture, and that language can have far-reaching consequences. Furthermore, in her 2022 book, Bully Market: My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs, Jamie Fiore Higgins recounts how colleagues would “moo” and make lewd gestures at her because she was breastfeeding. What’s troubling is that these incidents are not isolated. They are representative of a whole society that leaves harassing, insensitive, harmful speech unchallenged.
For employees with marginalized identities, their experience of verbal sexual harassment may be exacerbated. Black women, who are more likely than their white counterparts to experience sexual harassment at work, are also likely to face racialized sexual harassment rooted in colorist attitudes or stereotypes about how women of their race express their sexuality. One UK survey found that, “Over four in ten (43 per cent) LGBT workers reported hearing comments of a sexual nature about their sexual orientation and three in ten (30 per cent) heard comments of a sexual nature about their gender identity.” These are just a couple of examples that display that not only does this harmful humor transcend to many populations, but that combatting sexual harassment is also part of the mission to achieving overall workplace equity.
Sexually harassing jokes, and the cultural toleration of them, has been the status quo for generations. Beginning in the early 20th century, middle class women started to be integrated in what were previously male-only workspaces. The pushback against this employee population is reflected in the comics made in the following decades which, in one form or another, tie a woman’s place in the office to their male colleagues’ sexual fascination and pleasure. Jokes made to insult or degrade women’s bodies are also an incredibly harmful form of sexual harassment, as these jokes intend to diminish a woman’s self-worth and confidence, and minimizes the rightful place women have alongside the men in their workplace. When men (and women) hold sexist beliefs, jokes are a method they can use to express those beliefs with a lesser chance of being ostracized. By dismissing anyone offended as being “thin-skinned” or “taking it too seriously”, the person telling the joke gets to escape accountability. Jokes are harmful in and of themselves, and in a culture where these jokes proliferate, they create a culture where workers will test other boundaries and violations, potentially escalating to physical sexual harassment.
When a person of power tells one of these jokes, it puts the person on the receiving end in a difficult position: speak out against the harasser and potentially face negative consequences, or stay silent and allow the behavior to continue? We know that either decision exacerbates what is already tremendously difficult to handle, as people who experience workplace verbal sexual harassment do experience negative mental and physical effects. No one should have to take on this burden, in or outside of the workplace, and no employee should have to question whether their job would be secure and stable if they chose to speak out. This is where a responsible employer should come in and make abundantly clear that sexual harassment, within the context of a “joke” or not, should never be tolerated at their workplace.
Legally, sexual harassment is a form of sexual discrimination, and jokes are one type of speech that the law can and does recognize harassment as illegal if they are severe and pervasive enough to create a hostile work environment. Earlier this year, RALIANCE released a statement about the US Equal Employment Office Commission’s “Workplace Guidance to Prevent Harassment.” We encourage all employers to examine this guidance as they consider how to handle offensive jokes and other forms of verbal and physical workplace harassment going forward.
Workplace cultural change does not happen overnight. It takes many incremental steps, and collaboration across the board, to fully transform a workplace. Below are some suggestions for how you can encourage change at your organization today:
Have a RALIANCE Policy Review
Don’t know where to start? RALIANCE would be proud to collaborate with you in reviewing your policy, discussing what accountability might look like, and sharing our taxonomy to aid in your report processing efforts.
Incorporate Bystander Intervention Techniques in Training
Often, employees feel scared to speak out when they are wronged because they believe they have a lack of support from their colleagues. Consider emphasizing to your colleagues during their training that they have a responsibility for the welfare of their coworkers, and provide safe, practical ways to intervene or check in with the wronged party to see what they need.
Confidential Reporting Mechanisms
Some coworkers may fear coming forward and would prefer to submit their reports anonymously. Be sure to either have that capability internally or work with a third party to have that need fulfilled should an employee choose to seek it out.
Employee-Led Initiatives
Employees at every level should have their voices when companies are making big changes. If your company needs to make some of these changes to make everyone feel safer, provide space for all interested colleagues to convey what mechanisms they would like in place to prevent future harassment.
The harm of sexual harassment extends far beyond its target. It affects the entire company’s morale and culture, which is why everyone must be invested in doing what they can to stop it. While harassment leaves so many feeling disempowered, employers everywhere should know that they can give that power back. It is up to all of us to come together and uncompromisingly state that harmful humor is unwelcome in our spaces because workplace sexual harassment is no laughing matter.
RALIANCE is a trusted adviser for organizations committed to building cultures that are safe, equitable, and respectful. RALIANCE offers unparalleled expertise in serving survivors of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse which drives our mission to help organizations across sectors create inclusive environments for all. For more information, please visit www.RALIANCE.org.