Thesis on "Morality and Ethical Issues in the Human Service Field Sexual Harassment and Workplace Violence"

Thesis 5 pages (1567 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Ethical Abuses in Human Services

Ethical Abuses in the Human Services

While many get involved in the field of human services because they care for others and want to help them, the potential for ethical abuses in human services' fields is extraordinary. Stories about nurses, social workers, those who work with developmentally disabled people, and others who have broken ethical boundaries abound in newspapers and on television. Because these ethical abuses have to do with other humans, instead of material capital, they can be more shocking and more severe than abuses in other fields. For this reason, it is important to be sure that human service workers are informed about the importance of ethical behavior in the accomplishment of their duties. According to the National Organization for Human Services (1996), the field of human services is marked by a unique appreciation for humanity and diversity. Ethical abuses in the field questions that honor and distinction in an extraordinary and damaging way. One of the reasons that drawing ethical boundaries in the field of human services can be so difficult is the fact that human service workers fulfill many different kinds of duties. They can be teachers, caregivers, organizers, and administrators. Although the different organizations that employ these human service workers set different codes of conduct that apply to them, coming up with general guidelines that for human service workers can be rather difficult. Still, in any situation, a human service worker and a client must maintain a proper relationship, one that is devoid of sexual overtones or actions and one that fosters respect for both parties. Through a discussion of both sexual harassment and workplace violations, a better understanding of the ethical responsibilities of all human service workers can be achieved.

Of all the ethical violations that human service workers can commit, sexual abuses are often the most severe. Although many people believe that they do not need to be wary of sexual abuses because they are not the kind of people who engage in this type of behavior, that is not necessarily the case. Sexual harassment often occurs when a human services provider crosses a line but is unaware of that fact. The National Organization for Human Services (1996) mandates that human services' workers are responsible for maintaining the boundaries of the professional relationship, in addition to treating a client with "respect and dignity" (Statement 1-2). Sexual harassment does not meet these standards. According to Department of Transportation's (2001) fact sheet on sexual harassment, sexual harassment occurs "whenever unwelcome conduct on the basis of gender affects a person's job" (para. 2). Among the actions consistent with sexual harassment include "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature" (para. 2). In an environment filled with sexual harassment, it can be difficult to complete tasks in a responsible, timely, and accurate way. Sexual harassment can make workers afraid to come to work and complete their jobs, in addition to harming the clients that human service workers often come into contact with. Sexual harassment is dangerous to clients, and can cause emotional, physical, and other types of damage for both the human service worker and the client.

In order to avoid sexual harassment, respect is necessary. The human service worker must remember the nature of the human services field, to provide for the unique needs of human beings that human beings need in order to live normal lives. This means that respect is of the utmost importance for human service employees. One of the reasons that it is so difficult to understand sexual harassment is that no two people see sexual harassment as the same thing. Making off-color jokes, talking about topics with sexual overtones, making generalizations about certain genders, and wearing or showing material that may be considered sexual in nature can all lead to sexual harassment (Department of Transportation, 2001). While some people think that these topics are interesting or amusing, others find them deeply offensive. Because the human services field is dedicated to honoring diversity (National Organization for Human Services, 1996), it is necessary that human service workers honor the diversity of their clients through respecting their differences, even if those differences mean changing their behavior. The best way to avoid sexual harassment in the field of human services is to simply refrain from discussing or mentioning that which the client or other coworkers may find to be offensive. This can be difficult, and some may see it as an attempt to quash their personality or expression, but it is necessary in a profession that demands such high levels of respect. Although there are additional requirements that behavior must meet before a workplace can be defined as sexually hostile, in the human services field, creating even a sexually uncomfortable environment is dangerous to the nature of the job.

The most drastic of human services ethical violations occur, however, when sexual harassment turns into sexual abuse. According to the Nursing Home Abuse Resource Center, there were nearly 550 complaints regarding nursing home sexual abuse between October 1, 1995 and September 30, 1996. Defining sexual abuse as "any form of nonconsensual sexual conduct," the resource center states that nursing home residents are prime targets for sexual abuse because of their weakened state. Because many nursing home residents are unable to speak or communicate due to strokes and other diseases, it is difficult for them to even report such abuse, or admonish their attackers that they are not consenting (Nursing Home Abuse Resource Center, 2009, para. 1). Furthermore, the resource center writes that sexual abuse of nursing home residents often occur because of facilities that do not properly screen their employees. The trauma of such an affair for victim, family, and organization is not difficult to overestimate. Because the human services field is made up of employees who have the most direct contact with clients such as nursing home patients, it is important that human service workers be on their guard regarding any type of sexual behavior, even reporting the behavior of others.

While sexual harassment can be one of the grimmest types of ethical abuses in the human services field, another kind of ethical abuse that is common is the workplace violation. In addition to the basic tenets set forth by organizations such as the National Organization for Human Services, each human services organization has workplace codes of conduct that govern how employees can interact with clients, how they can dress, what things they can do in the presence of the client, etc. These codes of conduct are put in place for a reason, and violating them can quickly lead to ethical abuses that endanger a client's rights. For instance, a home for developmentally disabled people may have a code of conduct that requires employees to refrain from asking their clients for gifts. A certain employee may disregard this policy in a way that he or she finds harmless, asking a client to make him or her a card for his or her birthday. Overhearing this exchange, another employee may request that the client buy him or her lunch. At this point, a code of conduct violation has turned into the ethical problem of taking advantage of a client. The human services worker has now used his or her occupational position in order to gain monetary gifts from the client, a clear violation of that client's autonomy and respect.

In addition to harming clients, human service workers who engage in workplace violations can also harm each other. Managers in the human service field cannot use threats in order to engage a worker in staying on the job for a longer period of time, and they cannot also require workers to stay on the clock more than what is allotted by their age.… READ MORE

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