
Ask HN: What can stop harassment in a workplace? - urahara
This is a general question, not related any specific company. What measures, laws, actions, etc. can significantly reduce harassment, sexism and related practices in workplaces? Any good researches on the subject?
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mrits
There comes a point where regulations become a larger problem than what you
are trying to regulate. We all have expectations to be trusted, innocent until
proven guilty, and personal privacy respected.

We will always have crime, prejudices, and wrongly convicted. Social changes
can't be artificially rushed. Trying to bring backward middle eastern
countries overnight into western civilization made things worse. It turned out
dictators filled a gap they weren't ready to handle.

Progress is on a very good trajectory. We could change absolutely nothing and
still be better off.

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urahara
I agree that it is impossible to suddenly jump to another level of
civilization. But there should be ways to accelerate the process of moving in
the right direction. I'd like to understand the landscape of these problems
and what countries, companies and insividuals can do at their levels to
contribute to accelerating positive changes.

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meric
_But there should be ways to accelerate the process of moving in the right
direction._

That's true on highways as well, but it's not safe there. What makes it safe
here?

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bsvalley
I think we should start by defining the term "harassment". Most of the people
don't know the exact definition. Is it a big smile? Is it talking too much to
someone? Is it asking a question not related to work?

Or is it about sexual words and gestures towards someone?

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meric
> Is it a big smile? Is it talking too much to someone? Is it asking a
> question not related to work?

How do we know when we're harassing someone, so we can stop? If we think
someone hints we're harassing them, how to figure out which behaviours is
causing their distress? If we can't figure out is it better to ask directly,
which may be seen as intimation, or better to completely cut them off, which
may be seen as punishment? Or is everything fine until we receive a direct
confrontation?

