Exploring Workplace Sexual Harassment as a Social Issue

Constructing this presentation for the Respect@Work Campaign made me aware of the reality of the issue of sexual harassment in workplace, Australian in particular. This work sexual harassment survey made me so concerned, especially the part which said that 1 in 3 workers had sexual harassment at work in the last 5 years. This shed light on the fact that this problem is very deep and prevalent and does not discriminate across the laterals of the society nor organizations.

I understood that sexual harassment is not only about single cases but a system that arose from discrimination, subordination, and the culture of sexual violence against women. The campaign focused on the fact that everybody should not only change the policies and focus on the problem but also change the attitude and raise awareness of this issue.

Understanding the Respect@Work Campaign

Studying the Respect@Work Campaign allowed me to draw conclusions regarding the operation of modern feminism, specifically through activism based on the internet(Respect@Work, 2023). Other things that the campaigners found interesting and effective for driving awareness and change was the use of social networks and the online environment. One thing which I gained knowledge about was how movements such as #MeToo and #LetHerSpeak gave a voices and started a global conversation on sexual harassment(Jackson et al., 2023).

The campaign’s strategies were divided across different layers of social activism that I found very effective: it did not only seek to establish visibility for the cause, but also called for policy shifts. The 55 recommendations of the campaign made me realize that goals in advocacy must always be particular to help inform the approaches to be undertaken(LinkedIn, 2022).
I also learnt about the importance of official inquiries and reports in encouraging change. The campaign had its requirements backed by the findings of a study called Respect@Work Report, which gave the campaign a level of credibility.

Utility of Theories in Understanding the Campaign

When I used the public square theory to examine the Respect@Work Campaign, it was quite insightful. It let me know how social media work as more like today’s forums for people to air out their thoughts and share information(Mwengenmeir, 2014). This theory offered the basis through which it is possible to understand the manner in which the campaign offered an opportunity to share the experiences and foster togetherness(Ausat, 2023).

Although, I also discovered some drawbacks of this type of activism. The issue of online harassment and the real-world implementation of the notion of the engaged citizen were two important points that were highlighted by the public square theory. This theoretical lens also helped me question who has access to these new “public spaces” and whose voices can be still silenced even in the virtual world.

Reflections on Group Work

Having working in group for this presentation was lesson in itself to learn. There was our group of five people, and each of us had different skills and experience. This diversity was a concern, yet at the same time it was advantageous. At first, a number of challenges that were related to the coordination of working schedules and time organization were noticed.

Some of the commentators wanted to solve subproblems solo and together synthesize results; some wanted to solve problems in groups(Carnegie Mellon University, n.d.). This was the first time when we all had to sit down and negotiate, to find the middle ground that would fit for all of us. We shaped over the time more of what each member is capable of achieving. For instance, one of them had more data analysis that saw them assume the responsibility of statistical analysis of the Respect@Work Report. Another had good design skills and coordinated in offering the design of the visual aids to be used in our presentations.

Task Division and Decision Making

Our general strategy was to distribute the workload fairly in a way that would take into account each person’s specialities and preferences. This way we allocated the main components:

1. Research and content gathering: All team members will have exposure to patient data as data is collected during patient care and most employees interact with patients.
2. Slide design and visual elements: Out of the two members identified, both must be endowed with good design skills.
3. Script writing: Two members, who are considerate when it comes to writing tasks.
4. Data analysis and interpretation: & one member with a background in statistics
5. Presentation delivery: Proportionately between members of the group

Thus, decision making involved consultations as well as voting by different members of the group(Kozlowski & Ilgen, 2006). While finalizing the big picture like the format of the presentation or activities that ought to be included we would have group meetings on team calls as well as face-to-face meetings. We applied simple majority vote to come up with final decision.

For minor decisions, the decision making was decentralized to enable individual members of the team make decisions for their specific fields. This it made easier the process and ensured that the brainstorming sessions did not become endless cases of debates.

Communication Management

Communication proved to be an essential component to our group’s cohesiveness. We used a multi-channel approach(Wilson & Daniel, 2007):

1. Weekly in-person meetings: To review the program and its activities, solve the issues, and make significant decisions.
2. WhatsApp group chat: For breaking news, to be able to pass on documents and other materials, and for the checking of schedules.
3. Google Drive: for simultaneous working on documents as well as sharing of files.
4. Zoom: When social gathering in-person was not possible the response was virtual meetings(Shakeri & Khalilzadeh, 2020).

Findings and Lesson Learned on the Group Works

This project proved to be successful for our group and we did accomplish certain milestones. We were able to utilise each member to the best of their ability, and hence the give a complete and thorough presentation. In problem situations like disagreement of the data analysis part we were able to meet a solution(Nunamaker et al., 1996).

Engaging in this type of work also meant that students were able to overcome challenges together with other students, therefore bettering their team working skills. While it was problematic at the start to manage time effectively, it was possible to meet most of the significant milestones of this project. During the entire working on the project, the team members provided encouragements as well as help to the other members if they encountered any problem in the activities they were assigned.

Finally, although we managed to employ and benefit from the simplest of the collaboration tools, further utilization of the project management applications could improve the group work in future assignments.

Lessons in Teamwork and Advocacy

This was indeed a memorable group presentation and I was able to learn many things about collaborating with other people. It helped me understand that it is especially important to avoid any misunderstandings in the course of work, and such a clear definition of expectations and terms of cooperation is the first and significant step(Herrity, 2023). Further, when we were speaking about who will do what, when some work is due, and what quality we want to achieve, these misunderstandings were saved beforehand. 

I also learnt that the students needs to be flexibile especially given the fact that I only had one day to examine the candidates. While at it, the working strategy could be altered when new problems arose, and we had to respond to the change. It therefore meant that one was flexible, and this was helpful to us(Healey et al., 2014). That was another knowledge, the necessity for proper time management.

This proved somewhat challenging to manage in conjunction with our other coursework; therefore, we needed to be more organized. 
Since there were so many of us, we were able to have people with varying skill sets and this just taught me that it is always good to have a diverse team.

Some were proficient in the research, others in the presentation or using computer graphic software. In this way, we could work more effectively than when we acted alone for the entire time. In summary, this project has provided me significant insights on teamwork and advocating for the people. These categories of lessons I believe will be helpful in my future learning and profession.

Conclusion

Therefore, implementing and discussing this human right law assignment presentation about the Respect@Work Campaign was a very impactful and learning process. Employment sex discrimination as a significant societal problem was explained further, and I also gained the insight into the nature of contemporary feministic movements. Therefore, it can be concluded that public square theory helped identify patterns that can be useful for understanding digital advocacy. This project has improved not only my understanding of the topic being discussed, but has also helped me to enrich my skills in research, presenting information, collaboration, and campaigning. They would be useful when I am a student again and when I join the work force in the future as a professional.

 

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References

(24) Respect at Work laws passed by Senate today | LinkedIn. (2022, November 25). https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/respect-work-laws-passed-senate-today-fay-calderone/
Ausat, A. M. A. (2023). The role of social media in shaping public opinion and its influence on economic decisions. Technology and Society Perspectives, 1(1), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.61100/tacit.v1i1.37
Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). What are the challenges of group work and how can I address them? - Eberly Center - Carnegie Mellon University. https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/challenges.html
Herrity, J. (2023, February 27). 12 reasons why teamwork is important in the workplace. Indeed Career Guide. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/teamwork-important
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Jackson, L. A., Ayada, S., Christoffersen, A., Conley, H., Galt, F. C., Mackay, F., & O’Cinneide, C. (2023). Campaigning against workplace ‘sexual harassment’ in the UK: law, discourse and the news press c. 1975–2005. Contemporary British History, 38(2), 321–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/13619462.2023.2262930
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Mwengenmeir. (2014, February 28). Habermas’ public sphere. Pressbooks. https://opentextbc.ca/mediastudies101/chapter/habermas-public-sphere/
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Respect@Work. (2023, May 26). Respect@Work. https://www.respectatwork.gov.au/
“Respect@Work.” Attorney-General’s Department, www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/human-rights-and-anti-discrimination/respect-at-work.
Shakeri, H., & Khalilzadeh, M. (2020). Analysis of factors affecting project communications with a hybrid DEMATEL-ISM approach (A case study in Iran). Heliyon, 6(8), e04430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04430
Wilson, H., & Daniel, E. (2007). The multi-channel challenge: A dynamic capability approach. Industrial Marketing Management, 36(1), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2006.06.015