Research Explores Sexual Harassment in Higher Education Institutions

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Doctor of Administration graduate Dr Knowledge Ngwane hopes his research will help reduce sexual harassment which has a negative impact on staff performance.

His study - titled: “Workplace Harassment and its Impact on Staff Performance: a Case Study of a South African Higher Education Institution” - has highlighted a need for a comprehensive workplace harassment policy which encompasses bullying, psychological harassment, religious harassment and stalking, rather than sexual harassment only.

Employed at the Durban University of Technology as a Lecturer in the Department of Information and Corporate Management for the past 14 years, Ngwane said: ‘The research presents a sound basis on how to implement harassment policy and provides a list of available aid measures for employees who are victims of workplace harassment. Its findings aim to contribute to the establishment of  procedures to deal with workplace harassment, organising a range of professional assistance which will help other organisations and  developing a workplace harassment policy for selected Higher Education Institutions,’ said Ngwane.

The study’s finding goes beyond the field of Public Administration as it touches on Law, Management, Governance and Organisational Behaviour which opens up opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Ngwane is currently working on two papers for publication to accredited journals and is hoping to be a professor in five years’ time.

-          Thandiwe Jumo and Nombuso Dlamini