No abstract

There is mixed evidence for gender differences in perceptions of sexual harassment. To help clarify the existence of gender differences, we examined the sexual-harassment perceptions of 409 state government employees in the western United States. Few gender differences were found. We also compared the workers' perceptions to findings from a previous study of students (Terpstra & Baker, 1987). The relative ordering of the incidents' perceived severity was very similar, but workers perceived a number of incidents to be more harassing than did students. Thus, the major differences found were between students and workers, not between genders. Potential theoretical and methodological causes of these findings are discussed.

No abstract

No abstract

In order to analyze the impact of behavioral technology on service employee performance, a field experiment was conducted in a major department store. Drawn from 16 randomly selected departments, the 82 retail clerk subjects had the same training, performance standards, and at least 6 months experience. Their performance behavior (defined as selling, stockwork, miscellaneous, idle time, and absence from the work station) was measured via direct observation on a random time sampling basis. Both experimental and control groups were informed of the specific standards against which they would be measured, but only the experimental group was told of and received the contingent reinforcement, which consisted of paid time off, equivalent cash, and a chance for a paid vacation. Results show that the experimental group had a significant improvement in performance behavior, and the control group's behavior remained the same. The implications of behavioral technology for improved employee performance and the use of observational measures in field research in organizational behavior are discussed.