Sexualized Perception Influencing Team Member Engagement With Organizational Policies
Team member engagement is essential for an organization to achieve its goals. It refers to how committed employees are towards their work and organization. When team members are engaged, they are more likely to be productive, innovative, and loyal to the company. On the other hand, low engagement can lead to poor performance, absenteeism, and high turnover rates.
There are different factors that influence team member engagement, including organizational policies. This article explores the impact of sexualized perception on team member engagement with organizational policies.
Organizational policies refer to rules and regulations that govern employee behavior within an organization. These include codes of conduct, dress code, and disciplinary measures. Organizations implement these policies to promote orderliness, safety, and professionalism in the workplace. They help prevent unethical behaviors such as harassment, violence, and theft.
They provide guidance on how employees should interact with each other, customers, and the community. Therefore, team members must follow them to avoid penalties or termination from employment.
Perception is a cognitive process through which individuals interpret and understand information. Sexualized perception involves viewing people based on their sexual characteristics or sexually attractive qualities.
Someone may perceive another person's body shape, attire, or physical appearance as sexually appealing, resulting in sexual thoughts or feelings. People with this perception tend to focus on physical attributes instead of character traits when judging others.
In organizations, team members may form relationships based on their perception of each other. They may find certain colleagues physically attractive or sexually desirable and interact with them differently. Consequently, they may violate organizational policies such as those prohibiting sexual harassment, discrimination, and dating among co-workers. Team members who share sexual interests may flirt, touch each other, exchange messages, and even have sex at the workplace. This disrupts productivity and puts the company at risk of legal action.
Sexualized perception can influence team member engagement with organizational policies that regulate social interaction.
Dress code policies require employees to wear appropriate clothing while at work.
Some employees may feel that the rules are too restrictive and limit their freedom to express themselves. Others may see the rules as unfair since they do not apply to all genders equally. Such perceptions can lead to resistance and noncompliance with the policy, affecting employee morale and engagement. Similarly, disciplinary measures can be seen as unfair if they target specific groups or individuals based on their perceived attractiveness. This can result in low trust in management and a lack of commitment to the organization.
Sexualized perception also influences team member engagement with organizational policies concerning promotions, raises, and job assignments. Some team members may believe that these decisions favor people based on their physical attributes rather than qualifications. As a result, they become demoralized and less motivated to work hard or stay long term within the company. They may seek opportunities elsewhere where they are valued for their skills and achievements.
Sexualized perception can impact how team members engage with organizational policies. It can lead to violations, resentment, and low morale among employees. Therefore, organizations should strive to create inclusive environments where everyone feels respected regardless of their physical appearance. They should also communicate clearly why particular policies exist and ensure compliance through training and enforcement.
Managers must promote fairness and transparency when implementing policies to build trust and engagement among team members.
In what ways does sexualized perception influence team members' engagement with organizational policies?
Research has shown that sexualized perception can affect team members' engagement with organizational policies in various ways. Firstly, when individuals perceive their workplace as sexually hostile, they are more likely to feel disengaged from their job duties and colleagues, leading to reduced productivity and motivation (Kelly & Dugan, 2018).