This newsletter explores the seen and unseen effects of pornography in the workplace.

1. Pornography in the Workplace
Enough is enough!
By Adam J. Baesler
Pornography use has increased
exponentially in the last decade and has
created many problems in the workplace.
These problems tend to remain unaddressed
because of the personal and intimate nature
of pornography. However, if these problems
are not faced, they will continue to plague
the workplace indefinitely. Relationships,
productivity, and management are three
important components of a successful
business that are negatively impacted by the
use of pornography in the workplace.
Effect on Relationships
Pornography use has been shown to
negatively affect both personal and work
relationships. A study performed by the
Springer Institute in 2016 researched the
effects of increasing amounts of
pornography in the media. The results
showed “that viewing such programming is
likely to contribute to greater tolerance of
sexual talk and behavior in the actual
workplace.”i This causes an increase in the
number of sexual harassment cases and
results in disunity and loss of focus,
especially in team settings. Men are
“overwhelmingly responsible for sexual
harassment against women in the
workplace,” yet the consequences are
universally negative.ii To put it simply,
although less than one fourth of employees
admit to viewing pornography in the
workplace, the consequences of their actions
affect the entire company. (see Figure 1)iii
Effect on Productivity
According to a 2016 study on impulse
control and addiction among business
professionals, internet use is extremely
addictive and pornography use is even more
so. iv The study found that addictive
behavior worsens procrastination and
increases task completion time. So not only
are employees with addictions more likely to
postpone important assignments, they are
less likely to produce adequate work.
Because pornography is much more
addictive than normal internet use, these
productivity-slashing effects are even more
prominent amongst those who view it
regularly.
Setting aside the aforementioned
consequences of addiction, the use of
pornography in the workplace consumes
expensive company time. A simple google
search for “time spent watching porn at
work” finds dozens of internal studies done
by well-known organizations (including
some government agencies) showing that
employees spend multiple hours per week
watching pornography. This drastically
reduces the amount of work that companies
receive from their employees, and requires
that managers take disciplinary action.
Effect on Management
Pornography in the workplace and the
sexual harassment that it provokes are
problems that have received little attention
in the past. However, this has changed in the

2. last decade as companies have taken
measures in an attempt to reduce sexual
harassment among their employees.
According to a study conducted by
specialists for Cosmopolitan Magazine in
2015, one in three women has been sexually
harassed at work.v Even
more surprising is the fact
that only 29 percent of
those who were sexually
harassed reported the
incident to management.
Sexual harassment and the
use of pornography in the
workplace are almost
always grounds for
termination and are often
classified as illegal. Cases
that are reported usually lead to internal-
disciplinary action by the company,
however, those cases that demand legal
action result in expensive law suits.
Handling the legal liabilities that accompany
pornography use is left mainly in the hands
of management.
Managers have been forced to conduct
meetings with employees to define and
discuss sexual harassment and to warn of its
consequences. These meetings can create
tension between employers and employees
i
Taylor, L.D., Alexopoulos, C. andGhaznavi,J. (2016). Touchy
Subjects: Sex in the Workplace onBroadcast,Cable, andInternet
Television. Sex Roles, 75(9-10), pp.476–489.
ii
Mcdonald, P. andCharlesworth, S. (2016). Workplacesexual
harassment at the margins. Work, employmentandsociety, 30(1),
pp.118–134.
iii
Logue, Ph.D. Jeff. "PornographyStatistics: Who uses Porn?"
SAGU. Thought Hub, 22 Oct.2015. Web. 21Mar. 2017.
iv
Bell, R.L. et al. (2016). IMPULSE CONTROLAND
INTERNET ADDICTION DISORDER AMONGBUSINESS
and many times past experiences that are
brought up necessitate company
intervention. Disciplinary action,
termination cases, law suits, and behavioral
meetings are very costly to a company and
they require that managers redirect their
time and attention away
from their assigned
projects.
Pornography in the
workplace is creating
serious problems for
thousands of people and
needs to be addressed. Its
negative impact on
relationships, productivity,
and management are evident
and will only continue to worsen until its
effects are better understood and addressed.
Patrick A. Trueman, president of Morality in
Media said that this is a “public health crisis,
and it is urgent that that government and
society address it.”vi No matter the method
companies choose to combat this growing
issue, the time to do so is now. It’s time for
companies to say, “enough is enough!”
PROFESSIONALS. Journal of Organizational Culture,
Communications andConflict, 20(1),pp.1–16.
v Ahn, L. (2017). Survey: 1 in 3 WomenHas Been Sexually
Harassedat Work. Cosmopolitan.[online].Available from:
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/news/a36453/cosmopolitan-
sexual-harassment-survey/?dom=fb_hp&src=social&mag=cos
[AccessedMarch 10,2017].
vi
Wetzstein, C. (2014).Pornographyuse affects ‘real’
relationships. The Washington Times.[online].Available from:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/11/pornography-
use-affects-real-relationships/ [AccessedMarch14, 2017].
Figure 1: Percentage of men and women who
regularly view pornography in the workplace