The Impact of Sexual Trauma On the Health, Profitability and Reputation of Your Organization

Brigitte Kimichik • July 21, 2020

The Impact of Sexual Trauma On the Health, Profitability and Reputation of Your Organization

Sexual harassment can have a devastating impact on your organization's health, profitability and reputation. Is your company paying attention to all of the #MeToo scandals? This week, you will be reading about the 15 women who have outed The Washington Redskins for a decade of abuse.

It is striking that the toxic culture continued years after #MeToo exploded. Why did the organization decide it was not essential to hit a pause button and conduct a review of its work environment? Other scandals should have been motivating, including those involving the Dallas Mavericks, the NFL Network, or the Carolina Panthers. Many resulted in firings of corporate executives and high costs of litigation. What about the mental and physical toll on employees or the injury to the organization's reputation?

The mental and physical impact of sexual harassment on victims can result in reduced productivity, an increase in health issues (including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder), more absences, sick leave, and health insurance costs, and ultimately turn-over of employees. One of the few available studies on the topic is dated as far back as 1988 and involved personnel, HR directors, and equal-opportunity offices representing over 3.3 million employees and 160 companies. The study concluded that “a typical Fortune 500 company with 23,750 employees lost $6.7 million a year because of absenteeism, low productivity, and staff turnover.”

However, these effects do not even consider the economic, career, and long-term mental-health consequences victims experience once they leave their job, either due to intolerable sexual harassment or due to how the company mishandled a harassment claim. For victims in other industries, consequences can be direr. For example, experiences of sexual trauma that occur during military service associate with risk factors for depression, substance use disorders, and suicide. Military Sexual Trauma – A Risk Factor for Suicide research indicates that women veterans have higher rates of depression than non-veteran women and a shocking 250% higher suicide rate than civilian women.

Don't take #MeToo scandals involving companies and organizations for granted. Take the time to hit that pause button and evaluate your work culture for toxic masculinity, sexual harassment, and racism. Educating employees and company leaders regularly and effectively regarding prevention is likely to engender a more healthy workplace of dignity and respect and ultimately improve the bottom line concerning health-related costs and profitability. Try our book, "Play Nice - Playground Rules for Respect in the Workplace," which we wrote to educate both women AND men— on the importance of drawing a firm line of respect and professionalism, and speaking up as a bystander. Intervention by men is especially important. Men will listen to men.

For bad behavior to change, there must be consequences, and they should be wildly known and enforced. Committing to transparency will help #changetheculture to a more healthy and prosperous environment, free from #abuse, #workplacesexualharassment, and #racism.

#TimesUp. Let's #playniceatwork. For more info on our new book "Play Nice," please join us at the www.thesandboxseries.com.

< Older Post

Newer Post >