The age of the topless Page Three girl in newspapers, and calendars featuring naked women in workplaces, is long gone but has been replaced by some men and boys openly viewing online pornography at work or on public transport.
Last week it was revealed that more than 28 per cent of women in the UK have been shown pornography at work by a manager, colleague or customer. The union Unite, which surveyed 300,000 women in 19 different sectors, said that construction, aviation, transport, food and drink, farming, trucking, warehousing and logistics all suffered from significant rates of harassment.
We’re not immune from this behaviour in Ireland and it’s not limited to certain sectors either. Over the last 20 years a banking chief executive was dismissed for viewing escort services at work. Also, two media employees were dismissed by their employers for having child sexual abuse imagery in their possession.
Personally, I’ve witnessed several men watching porn in my workplaces – with the knowledge of senior management – as well as experiencing this on a plane and the Dart. When I reported it to a senior manager at work he laughed and said: “Don’t be such a prude.”
Sadly, such attitudes persist. A quick scan of Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) decisions involving pornography shows similar managerial reactions in some cases and the dismissal of employees and managers who viewed, disseminated or condoned the viewing of pornographic images in others. Complainants were awarded damages of up to €40,000.
The daily commute is another hotspot for public porn, with passengers unwillingly subjected to it on buses, trains and planes. According to news reports from all over the State, some male passengers watch porn on their mobiles or computers, often without headphones, so anyone nearby is either forced to confront them or witness it too. Not the best way to start or end your work day.
What is the impact of this behaviour on women and men in the workplace and how can employers address it? What should you and your employer do if a colleague is watching pornography at work?
Employers have an obligation to provide a safe environment for their workers and this includes freedom from sexual harassment, intimidation and bullying. A workplace that allows, or chooses to ignore, these behaviours is putting itself at great risk legally, culturally, financially and reputationally.
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Openly viewing pornography at work may be considered sexual harassment and a form of discrimination, making it illegal in the workplace under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004. Additionally, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 strengthens the laws against harassment, including sexual harassment, both online and offline.
Sexual harassment is any form of unwanted words or physical actions of a sexual nature which deliberately or unintentionally violate your dignity, make you feel degraded and create an intimidating, hostile, humiliating or offensive environment for you. The unwanted actions may either deliberately aim to violate your dignity or unintentionally have that effect.
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Employers may be held legally responsible for workplace harassment, even though they did not personally carry it out. This is called “vicarious liability”. It applies where an employer has some control over what happens at the workplace, even if they do not directly employ the person who harassed you.
Sexual harassment has a corrosive impact on workplace attitudes, behaviours and culture and creates a disconnect between women and men who work together. It’s also bad for business.
The workplace is a reflection of society, both positive and negative, and employers need to recognise how current trends impact on their culture. Research in the Journal of Business Ethics by NW Mecham found that pornography has permeated the work environment.
Regular exposure to pornography increases the likelihood of impulsive or risky behaviour, according to the study. “Consuming pornography causes individuals to be less ethical. We find that this relationship is mediated by increased moral disengagement from and dehumanisation of others due to viewing pornography. Combined, our results suggest that choosing to consume pornography causes individuals to behave less ethically.”
“Because unethical employee behaviour has been linked to numerous negative organisation outcomes including fraud, collusion and other self-serving behaviours, our results have implications for most societal organisations.”
Irish and international research has found that mainstream pornography does not just depict consensual sex between adults, it promotes violence. Facing Reality: Addressing the Role of Pornography in the Pandemic of Violence against Women and Girls by the Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy (SERP) Institute says “there is an urgent need to comprehend and address pornography for what it truly is – the sexual violence, torture and degradation of real women and girls on film.”
“Scholars have argued that as pornography has become increasingly normalised and socially conceptualised as ‘sexually explicit material’, in fact contemporary pornography does not depict ‘sex’ in itself, but rather sexual violence masquerading as ‘sex’.”
“Amongst men, higher pornography consumption has been found to be associated with views and attitudes towards women that amount to ‘hostile sexism’,” the report continues. “A detailed review of studies on men’s attitudes and behaviours found a significant positive association between the consumption of violent pornography and attitudes supporting violence against women.”
What does all this mean for workplace culture? Businesses cannot afford to ignore the impact of the “normalisation” and pervasiveness of porn. It is training men and boys to dehumanise half the population and signalling to women and girls that they are less valued than men at work.
Regular pornography viewers tend to think negatively about women – or see them primarily as sex objects – so they’re unlikely to want to work on an equal footing with them, or to help support women colleagues or promote them to managerial roles.
Dehumanising co-workers in this way might also lead to sexual harassment or contribute to a hostile work environment, which not only decreases organisational productivity but might spark expensive litigation, according to Mecham’s research.
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In addition, these attitudes can impact on customer relationships and retention levels. “Dehumanisation may adversely impact an organisation’s ability to attract, develop and retain talented women employees, especially when people in leadership positions are using pornography and aggressively engaging in dehumanising behaviour.”
It’s often said that workplace culture is dictated by the worst behaviour we allow. Businesses and organisations cannot divorce themselves from what’s happening in wider society and they are required to take steps to protect workers from harm, no matter what form it takes.
Under Irish law, “Employers must have comprehensive, accessible, effective polices that focus on prevention, best practice and remedial action. They must also have an accessible complaints procedure,” according to the Code of Practice on Sexual Harassment and Harassment at Work from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
Employers are also required to take action if they become aware of an issue even if no complaint is filed. The existence of a policy document is not enough. “Employers will not be able to rely on an excellent policy document if it is not implemented.”
So, the next time you hear about someone viewing pornography at work or on public transport, don’t just laugh it off, report it.
Margaret E Ward is chief executive of Clear Eye, a leadership consultancy. margaret@cleareye.ie
