Week 8 EOC Nine To Five

While watching the film 9 to 5 I noticed a lot of unethical behavior by both men and women throughout the movie. I recorded well over thirty cases of sexual harassment, misuse of the progressive disciplinary program, and inappropriate language used in the office. There were a lot of moments in the movie where one female employee was consistently sexually harassed by her male boss; he was guilty of giving her gifts, touching her inappropriately, and most of all quid pro quo sexual harassment. “From a legal perspective, if harassment is established under the quid pro quo version, the employer automatically is liable and will be held accountable for whether or not steps were taken to correct the situation…an employer's liability in a hostile work environment case must be established by showing not only that the harassment occurred, but also that the employer did not take appropriate action to stop it” (Hayes, David K. Human Resources Management in the Hospitality Industry, 1st Edition. Pg. 351. Wiley, 02/2008. VitalSource Bookshelf Online). During the movie a woman was fired on the spot based on something his “assistant” heard in the bathroom while the woman and a coworker were talking. On top of that they had a security guard escort to woman from her desk which was completely unnecessary, it was clear the progressive disciplinary program was not used at all. “A commonly used four-step progressive disciplinary includes documented oral warning, written warning, suspension, and dismissal” (Hayes, David K. Human Resources Management in the Hospitality Industry, 1st Edition. Pg. 311. Wiley, 02/2008. VitalSource Bookshelf Online). When other employees are speaking bad about other employees, blatantly taking credit for someone else’s work, threatening others, and not promoting someone because they are a woman can all cause psychological problems with employees. “Psychological harassment. This is humiliating or abusive behavior that lowers a person's self-esteem or causes them torment. This can take the form of verbal comments, actions, or gestures” (Hayes, David K. Human Resources Management in the Hospitality Industry, 1st Edition. Pg. 339. Wiley, 02/2008. VitalSource Bookshelf Online).