There are two sets of strategies that a sexual harassment victim in the workplace can use to reduce or prevent further sexual harassment. If the victim chooses to use informal strategies, he/she considers telling the perceived harassing person politely but assertively that their behavior is offensive because sometimes a person may be unaware of their offensive behavior unless someone points it out, following an internal process within the firm to report the behavior and considering mediation. Formal strategies include making a formal complaint to legal bodies or making a human right complaint or civil action (Lawsociety.bc.ca, 2014). Informal strategies that involve direct response are the simplest and the most effective.
The decision to employ informal strategies in solving sexual harassment conflict involves seven steps: 1). The victim identifies the purpose of the decision -to stop sexual harassment, 2). Gathering information on sexual harassment incidences, 3). Identification of alternatives to solve the problem-informal and informal strategies, 4). Evaluation of the two strategies based on their potential to solve the problem, 5). Choosing the best alternative, 6). Taking action, for example, confronting the harasser or seeking mediation, 7). Reviewing the results whether the decision chosen (informal strategies) solves the sexual harassment problem.\
Inductive and deductive reasoning influence the decision-making process. Inductive reasoning involves making observations and then drawing conclusions from the observations. For instance, a person who feels he/she is sexually harassed makes a keen observation on the behavior of the perceived harasser and then draws a conclusion on whether the behavior is tantamount to sexual harassment. Deductive reasoning entails figuring out the conclusion followed by a determination of the validity of the conclusion. For example, a person can make a conclusion that he/she is sexually harassed, seek evidence and determine whether the evidence is logical to support the conclusion (Loeweinsten & Lerner, 2003).
Emotion and culture affect the decision-making process. People from different cultural backgrounds have different norms, values and expectations regarding sexual behavior and what amounts to sexual harassment. These differences influence their decision on the strategy to use in solving the sexual harassment problem. For example, a male who is sexually harassed by a woman colleague may not find it easy to report the harassment to a legal body or the employer because in his cultural background, reporting such a form of harassment would be met with disbelief. A male victim from such a culture may find informal strategies, particularly talking to the female harasser as the easiest option. Expected emotions refer to predictions about the emotional consequences of decision results.
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