As it is still the beginning of the academic year, we thought it would be meaningful to share specific actions for allies to practice and campus resources to be aware of throughout this year. This week, we will focus on what allies can do to support and stand up with/for their colleagues who experienced harassment and bias at work.
Many women, women of color, non-binary individuals, and individuals with diverse intersecting identities experience bias at their workplace frequently, yet they are unlikely to report bias.1 In terms of sexual harassment, nearly 50 % of women in the U.S. have experienced it in their workplace, yet 71% of those women do not report it according to a survey.2 Reasons, why the victims do not make reports are fear of retaliation, not knowing how to navigate the reporting system, and the stress and humiliation they may experience during the process.3 In fact, it is uncomfortably true that women who do report harassment and discrimination undergo mental and physical health issues and end up losing jobs to poorer ones more than women who keep silent do.4 Chloe Grace Hart also found that women who self-report their experiences of sexual harassment are more likely to be perceived negatively on their morality, warmth, and social skills, which results in promotion bias against them.5
Such a negative perception leaves the victim in “a double bind: If they report sexual harassment, they risk being perceived as less worthy of promotion, but if they do not report sexual harassment, they must manage it alone.”6 In short, in either case, reporting or not reporting, the result is not much different: Try to put yourself in the place of a person faced with a decision where you knew that no matter the choice, the outcome would be unfavorable.
However, allies can make changes by reaching out to the colleague who experienced bias or harassment and by offering to write an incident report for/with the colleague. Hart found that the victim is not likely to experience those negative perceptions that one would experience if self-reporting the harassment when a bystander—a coworker— makes the report for the victim of sexual harassment.7 This positive effect would not be limited to situations of sexual harassment. Unfortunately, microaggressions and biases that negatively stereotype particular racial identities, health conditions, age, and physical features occur daily at work. In other words, allies can contribute to improving equity at work by knowing what to do with and for their colleagues who experience bias, and who are often left alone to deal with such a situation, leading to additional unnecessary stress beyond their jobs.
If you witness or learn that a colleague experienced microaggression, bias, or harassment at work, these are some actions to take as allies. Intervening on the spot can be optimal in a lot of situations. However, it can also be a complicated decision to make in many situations. If you did not get to address it on the spot, there are still other actions you can take as allies.
There are different ways to report an incident: a campus-wide central reporting system or a department-based one.
Online reporting forms are also available for bias incidents and sexual harassment. You can choose to include your contact information in the forms. You can report the incident to the Office of Institute Equity at oie@iu.edu or call 812-855-7559 if you would like to get some information first.
Various departments have their local ways of supporting the victims who have experienced harassment and microaggression. They may use their department-based reporting system to support the victim in navigating the institutional reporting and grievance procedures. These local systems intend to make incident reporting more accessible, visible, and less stressful. Here are some examples of local reporting systems. (Our list is limited at this moment, so please let us know if your unit has your own reporting system).
However, because these resources are often difficult to find on the department website, departments can redesign their website by making it more intuitive to find such a resource.
If the victim desires anonymity, you can refer them to confidential employees who are exempt from the reporting duty. This is where you can refer students for their confidentiality.
Film: Picture a Scientist highlights gender inequality in STEM through the experiences of three prominent women scientists in the U.S. The film also describes how their male colleagues have become allies.
Video: Just Listen: Providing Emotional Support to Sexual Violence Survivors – This video explores what we can do every day to emotionally support survivors
Article: Use Science to Stop Sexual Harassment in Higher Education – This article suggests that the most effective solution to sexual harassment in higher education should be neither individual victim reporting nor the retraining of wrongdoers. It calls for changes in the higher education institutional structure and in the mentality of the privileged who have neglected sexual harassment.
