Why Sexual Harassment Persists and What Organizations Can Do to Stop It

Long before the #MeToo movement, the insidious effects of harassment were well known to organizational researchers. Women who are harassed often leave their jobs, taking valuable relationships, and potential out the door with them and creating the costly need to hire and train new employees to fill the roles vacated. There is also evidence that harassment can negatively impact the cohesion and functioning of teams, with negative financial consequences for productivity and employee turnover. Companies stand to lose capital—human and more—if they don’t work to eliminate sexual misconduct. Sexual harassment is not a women’s problem but a threat to companies’ health. And men most often have the power to determine if an organization will prevent and treat it—or allow it to spread.