The ‘office bro’ mentality and how it damages women

Written By Rachel Langston

Have you ever worked in an office that had that guy? You know that guy. He makes jokes just to the left of work appropriate, he's weirdly competitive about sales, and he always tries to engage you in locker room talk. He might even feel the need to joke about the extracurricular activities of all the "office girls." In short, he's the worst. 

The corporate world is packed to the brim of these overconfident office bros who never grew out of their college frat days and want to do jager bombs at the office Christmas party.

Sure, he's annoying, and you definitely don't have the same idea of fun, but what about him that's just so offensive? And why does it seem like every office workplace has at least one of these guys? Who is the elusive office bro, and what is he all about? 

Gross dudes are nothing new and certainly not surprising, but the real question is, 'what about the company?' Why does management tolerate this behavior? Surly in the settling dust of the "me too" movement with every HR department on high creeper alert, a crude joke or yellow remark should come with some repercussions or at least a healthy dose of shame. The truth is that managers protect their own. While the workforce is split almost evenly between the genders, men dominate management at a staggering 80%. These office offenders don't receive any backlash because the manager is one of them. It wouldn't be a good look to fire someone for the same harassment you previously engaged in. 

Beyond a simple joke 

This unfortunately all-too-common office personality is more than just a creepy gaslighter with a high school sense of humor. The office bro is just one more in a laundry list of offenses women are expected to laugh off in the corporate world. It's indicative of the treatment women put up with daily at every company and country. 

In a 2018 survey, 38% of the 996 women surveyed said they had experienced sexual harassment at work (NPR). More than 70% of women who have been victims of workplace sexual harassment never report the incident, according to another survey (law). This lack of reporting could be for a myriad of reasons, including embarrassment, fear of not being believed, and retaliation by someone at work. Unfortunately, this is a well-grounded fear. A 2020 U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission report revealed that 55.8% of victims reporting sexual harassment at work faced retaliation (EEOC). That's no surprise considering that 72% of victims were harassed by someone in a higher position (graphic). 

This is awful, but many companies don't care about their workers, so why should they care about this? Besides the laws, workplace harassment policies and their reputation as employers also affect a company's bottom line. According to Deloitte, workplace sexual harassment cost companies an average of $2.6 billion in lost productivity. That's more than a thousand dollars per victim (Deloitte). 

According to Business Insider, 99% of Fortune 500 companies have had to pay a settlement in at least one lawsuit for discrimination or sexual harassment (insider). Companies that allow this culture are losing out on money that could be put back into the company to improve workers, paid out to shareholders, or used to grow and expand. Additionally, protecting "the boys" when they perpetrate horrific crimes and abuses alienates half the workforce. It causes companies to miss out on talented candidates who aren't willing to be harassed for their paycheck. This is especially bad for companies when you consider this 2018 hive research that shows women are assigned more tasks at work and generally outperform men by 10% (hive)

When you look at the facts, the enabling of these boys club offices, bro-culture boundary-crossing men, and creepy managers have a lot of hidden costs for companies. They can get in hot water legally, lose out on valuable talent and ruin future progress and their reputation along the way. 

Additionally, women are people. We should not have to site statistics and build a detailed picture of the damage sexual harassment causes to a company's bottom line to deserve a safe workplace. Why are women expected to bear this burden while the abusers are allowed to walk around the office treating women who outperform them like objects? 

The practical solution 

What can companies do to fix this situation? Is there a solution? Although potentially difficult to enact, the answer is quite simple. They can start by enforcing strict workplace harassment policies with harsh punishment for those who break them. Companies need to offer more support and protection for women to report. To ensure both of these are enforced, companies need to promote more women and find ways to accurately track and reward work, so women are fairly rewarded. These three steps would significantly reduce the problem on the company end, but the worker can also step up to break down the misogynistic office culture. Employees should encourage victims to come forward and stand up against harassment. It's also essential for all employees to disclose salaries and speak honestly so women can demand the compensation they deserve.

Sources:

Rachel Langston
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