Sexualization has become a common phenomenon in today's workplace due to increased demand for diversification and inclusion of women in the workforce.
Despite its benefits, it can have negative effects on employee behavior such as decreased productivity and reduced job satisfaction. This paper aims to explore how sexualized perception influences employee engagement, motivation, and performance outcomes. The main question is what are the consequences when people perceive their work as sexy?
Let us define sexualization. It refers to the process whereby physical attractiveness becomes an important factor in evaluating others or self-evaluation of one's own worth. In other words, sexualization occurs when someone looks at something and considers whether they would like to sleep with it or be slept with.
If you go to a club and see some girls dancing on the pole, your brain may start thinking about having sex with them, thus leading to increased arousal levels. But this sexualization may distract you from completing your tasks because you'll keep thinking about it even after leaving the place. Thus, sexualization affects concentration and task completion rate by creating distractions that interfere with work output.
It increases stress levels which further lowers performance quality and efficiency. Another effect of sexualization is increased procrastination because workers take longer breaks than usual during working hours. They spend more time chatting online or watching porn videos instead of focusing on completing assigned tasks.
Sexualization affects motivation through two mechanisms: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic rewards. When employees feel valued based solely on their appearance rather than skill set, they tend to lose interest in their jobs over time. Their passion for excellence decreases because there is no sense of belonging anymore; therefore, they become demotivated and uninspired to continue working hard. On the contrary, when employees are recognized for their contributions towards organizational success, they feel appreciated and satisfied with their roles, hence becoming engaged in their work. This leads to higher productivity since employees invest extra effort into improving themselves and meeting deadlines. The second mechanism involves monetary rewards such as bonuses, promotions, salaries, and perks associated with sexualized behaviors. If an employee receives these rewards due to his/her physical attributes rather than merit-based achievements, he/she will be less likely to stay loyal to the organization long term. It also means that other deserving candidates who lack attractive bodies may not receive such rewards, thus feeling undervalued by the company's policies. Consequently, this can lead to lower job satisfaction rates among those denied access to rewards despite having greater potential than others.
Sexualization increases competition between co-workers leading to decreased morale. Employees compete against each other for promotion opportunities or recognition from supervisors based on how sexy they appear. Such rivalry creates a hostile environment where people judge one another unfairly instead of collaborating for shared goals.
If two colleagues vie for the same position but only one gets promoted due to his/her appearance, the loser might develop resentment towards him/herself or even the winner. This can cause poor team spirit which negatively impacts performance outcomes. In addition, sexualization encourages unhealthy behaviors like gossiping about coworkers behind their backs or flirting with them outside working hours. As a result, productivity levels drop because individuals spend more time talking about others than focusing on tasks at hand.
Sexualization leads to decreased commitment since workers feel exploited by management when it comes to decision making processes based solely on looks rather than qualifications or experience. Therefore, employees become disengaged and look elsewhere for better opportunities.
Sexualization has adverse effects on employee engagement, motivation, and performance outcomes due to its negative influence on concentration, passion, competition, morale, and commitment.
How does sexualized perception affect engagement, motivation, and performance outcomes among employees?
Sexualized perception can have negative effects on employee engagement, motivation, and performance outcomes due to various reasons. Firstly, sexualized behavior may lead to feelings of discomfort and distraction during work hours, which could decrease focus and productivity. Secondly, it can create an unprofessional environment that undermines trust between colleagues and managers and compromises communication effectiveness.