Chapter 34 Further Reading: Attraction in the Workplace

Foundational Research

Pierce, C. A., Broberg, B. J., McClure, J. R., & Aguinis, H. (2004). "Responding to sexual harassment complaints: Effects of a dissolved workplace romance on decision-making standards." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 95(1), 66–82. — The key empirical study on how observers respond to supervisor-subordinate romances, including favoritism perception effects.

Dillard, J. P., & Witteman, H. (1985). "Romantic relationships at work: Organizational and personal influences." Human Communication Research, 12(1), 99–116. — The foundational study on post-romantic workplace dynamics; important data on the prevalence of negative professional outcomes after workplace relationships end.

Dobbin, F., & Kalev, A. (2016). "Why diversity programs fail." Harvard Business Review, 94(7), 52–60. — Readable summary of Dobbin's research on unintended consequences of formal organizational anti-discrimination and anti-harassment programs. Broader than workplace romance but essential for understanding HR program effects.

Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 (1986). The Supreme Court opinion that established hostile work environment sexual harassment as sex discrimination under Title VII. Foundational for understanding current law.

Schultz, V. (2003). "The sanitized workplace." Yale Law Journal, 112(8), 2061–2193. — Long but essential law review article arguing that anti-harassment law has over-sanitized workplace social life in ways that may paradoxically harm women workers.

Cross-Cultural and #MeToo Perspectives

McDonald, P. (2012). "Workplace sexual harassment 30 years on: A review of the literature." International Journal of Management Reviews, 14(1), 1–17. — Comprehensive review of international research on workplace harassment, including cross-cultural variation in incidence, perception, and reporting.

Ridgeway, C. L. (2019). "Why status matters for inequality." American Sociological Review, 79(1), 1–16. — On status processes that shape workplace interaction; context for understanding #MeToo's sociological effects.

Power, Intersectionality, and Professional Ethics

Crenshaw, K. (1989). "Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex." University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139–167. — The foundational intersectionality article, specifically analyzing how legal frameworks fail to capture discrimination that operates through the intersection of race and gender.

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Standard 10.05 addresses sexual intimacy with clients; Standard 10.08 addresses former clients. APA.org. — Primary source for APA ethical prohibitions discussed in the chapter.

Accessible Starting Points

Freitas, D. (2017). Consent on Campus: A Manifesto. Oxford University Press. — Readable analysis of the consent landscape in educational institutions, including faculty-student dynamics.

Schultz, V. (2018). "Reconceptualizing sexual harassment, again." Yale Law Journal Forum, 128, 22–66. — A post-#MeToo update to Schultz's earlier work; more accessible than the 2003 article and engages directly with contemporary debates.