Investigating the Role of Bystanders in Gender-Based Violence and Harassment at Work

Project title

Investigating the Role of Bystanders in Gender-Based Violence and Harassment at Work 

Project manager

Kristian Stampe Nielsen

Project description

Goal / Objectives:

There are three main goals of this project presented here in individual phases. The objective of phase 1 is to generate an overview of current knowledge on bystander interventions aimed at offensive behaviour at work, with a special focus on GBVH by conducting a scoping review. Phase 2 aims to investigate the lived experiences of bystanders to GBVH including exploring actual bystander behaviour and factors influencing this. Such factors may be individual factors (such as bystander’s own cognitions, emotions, and behaviour), victims’ individual attributes (e.g., gender, race, position, coping style) as well as factors pertaining to organisational/work group culture. And finally, the goal of phase 3 is to analyse the effects of the bystander intervention called “Intervene-SH”, a dialogue-based, user-friendly standardized intervention that organizations may employ themselves. The intervention uses short cases/vignettes, among other things, that portray real life situations, characters, and dynamics, which are easy to identify with. The aim of the intervention is to increase the participating managers and employee’s 1) awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment, 2) awareness of the negative consequences of passive or colluding bystander behaviours, 3) awareness of risk situations for GBVH as well as 4) an increase in constructive bystander behaviour among participants. The effect of the intervention is tested by comparing bystander attitudes and behaviour to GBVH as well as the prevalence of GBVH before and after implementation of the intervention. Attitudes and bystander behaviour are measured both qualitative and quantitatively.

Background:

Multiple Danish and international studies have shown that sexual harassment is still a problem in many organizations. Recently the term sexual harassment has given way to a new and broader term, gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH). This term has been adopted due to the fact that it incorporates and highlights the facts that much “sexual harassment” isn’t inherently sexual in its nature, but is about power, discrimination and gender-based abuse. Research points to the widespread negative individual and organisational consequences of exposure to GBVH at work including poor mental health, increased risk of depression, increased risk of long-term sickness absence and higher turn-over rates and low morale in organizations. These effects have been shown to also be present in bystanders to GBVH, although less severe. Studies show that young women, women from ethnic minorities, migrant workers and LBTQ+ persons are more exposed to GBVH at work which highlights the importance of maintaining a intersectional view on the phenomenon.

Research on workplace bullying has shown that bystanders to bullying and play a part in how such situations develop and are managed, yet there is a knowledge gap when it comes to understanding bystanders' roles and perspectives in relation to GBVH. Interventions aimed at reducing workplace bullying have shown that mobilising and engaging bystanders may pave the way to changing a problematic culture, therefore it is crucial that this knowledge is extended to and tested in the field of GBVH.

Methods:

Phase 1: Generating a scoping review which includes both qualitative and quantitative peer-reviewed empirical research on bystander interventions against offensive behaviour in the workplace, with a special focus on GBVH

Phase 2: An exploratory interview study of the experience of bystanders to GBVH. Through semi-structured interviews the lived experience of bystanders to GBVH and their roles in GBVH situations will be examined and analysed. This is done by using a phenomenological approach with open questions informed by the scoping review and theories on witness behaviour. The interviews will be transcribed and analysed by applying the extended attribution-emotion model of stigmatization in combination with Approach-Avoidance theory and research on coping behaviour.

Phase 3: A Mixed method investigation of the effects of the “Intervene-SH” intervention. This is carried out in collaboration with the Nordic SUSH project. The effects are measured both qualitatively and quantitively through surveys and group interviews. The interviews are also used to examine the implementation process of the intervention as well as possible stimulating and obstructing factors when using this type of intervention. 

Perspectives:

This project investigates bystanders experience of gender-based violence and harassment and how this knowledge can be used to develop and implement successful bystander interventions. The project also tests an already existing intervention tool that aims to raise awareness of gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace, its harmful effects on the employee's mental health and increase the chance of witnesses intervening on behalf of the victim instead of being passive observers. In addition, the project investigates which factors can respectively facilitate or hinder successful witness interventions.

The project is carried out under

THRIVE Research Group

Main supervisor

Eva Gemzøe Mikkelsen

Co-supervisors

Maj Hansen

Collaborators

Phase 3 of the Ph.d.-project is done in collaboration with “Speak Up!”:  
A practice-oriented research project on the prevention of Sexual Harassment (SUSH)

Funding

SDU faculty scholarship

Keywords

Sexual harassment, intervention, prevention, intervention research, bystanders, qualitative research, quantitative research, work environment, organizations, intersectionality, mixed method, gender-based harassment, gender differences, discrimination, occupational health, solution focused research