Inside: Abuse of Power and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Author: (American) Neville, translated by Dong Yutao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: The book Insider allows us to confront the real lives of those deeply affected by workplace sexual harassment for the first time. Neville's in-depth examination of American companies reveals that the role of courts and laws in controlling sexual harassment at work is limited. Meanwhile, the author proposes practical and swift methods for employees to avoid getting involved in lawsuits. Author Kirsten Neville is an insider and media commentator on corporate culture, who examines the workplace politics and dangerous ambiguous relationships within it, with results that are alarming. In this book, the author exposes the severe power abuse and sexual harassment issues that unfold daily in the workplace, often unknown to the public. Despite differing opinions, sexual harassment is indeed one of the most challenging and serious problems companies face. After some sexual harassment scandals are made public, companies or individuals spend huge sums to settle them, yet the problems are not fully resolved. Insider reveals that sexual harassment is prevalent in many companies worldwide, daily, with companies becoming safe havens and shields for those who make a living from sexual harassment, turning a blind eye to these atrocities. Kirsten Neville points out that while companies today are aware of the gender issues in sexual harassment, they often overlook the fact that power (both those in power and those without) plays a far greater role in workplace sexual harassment incidents than desire. The author investigates numerous cases of sexual misconduct in the workplace—from the misdeeds of CEOs to the chilling rape stories of frontline employees—describing real-life stories of sex and power, the subsequent actions of companies and courts, and analyzing why justice is so difficult to achieve in this area. By clarifying the current misconceptions about sexual harassment, the author exposes the indifferent attitudes of many companies in handling the issue and analyzes why good intentions ultimately fail. Thus, Kirsten Neville explains to readers why the workplace has become a dangerous zone for frequent sexual harassment and provides many valuable methods and approaches for addressing the problem.