”It was only a joke” - How do organisations handle Sexual Harassment? : A qualitative research approach to explore how organisations deal with Sexual Harassment and preliminary implications for their development towards equality

Abstract: This master thesis explores how sexual harassment is handled and managed in organisations and to what extent bystander intervention is known and seen as a potential prevention mechanism. Ten interviews have been conducted with HR managers and other leading department heads working in private organisations in Germany. The purpose of this thesis was to gather knowledge on how sexual harassment is perceived and dealt with in those organisations under consideration of the concept of organisational culture and its impact. Bystander intervention has been discussed as a potential prevention strategy. Leadership behaviour and dominating power relations have been uncovered as significant impact factors shaping organisational culture and enabling space for sexually harassing behaviour to happen. Based on the findings this thesis offers implications for transforming organisations towards becoming more gender equal in the future such as creating awareness and enabling spaces to talk about it openly and educating people on forms and harms of sexual harassment as well as possibilities to act as a bystander.