Antecedents and consequences of observing workplace sexual behavior

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents and consequences of non-harassing sexual behavior in the workplace. Individual perceptions of climate were examined as antecedents; physical strain and turnover intentions were studied as consequences of non-harassing sexual behavior at work. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires were administered to two samples of working adults. In the second sample, criterion measures were collected four months after the predictors. Findings – Innovative and traditional climates were associated with workplace sexual behavior; sexual behavior was positively associated with physical strain and turnover intentions, both concurrently and four months later. Research limitations/implications – Climate was not assessed at the group level of analysis; only individual perceptions of workplace climate were measured. The research design was not longitudinal, thus causal conclusions cannot be drawn. Despite these limitations, the results suggest that perceptions of climate are related to sexual behaviors in the workplace. Further, the findings highlight negative outcomes associated with observing even non-harassing sexual behavior at work. Practical implications – Managers may consider implementing specific guidelines around non-harassing sexual behavior in the workplace. Organizational leaders may have the ability to affect how non-harassing sexual behavior is interpreted, based on the kinds of climates they create in their organizations. Originality/value – This is the first study that assesses both the antecedents and consequences of non-harassing sexual behavior. It expands the literature by including psychological perceptions of the workplace as predictors of sexual behavior at work.