Sexual Harassment in NPOs: How the Nature of Work Facilitates Moral Licensing

Nuñez and Ollo-López (2022) discuss the relationship between organizational dysfunctions, harasser behavior, and sexual harassment in nonprofit organizations (NPOs). They argue that the nature of work in NPOs poses an additional risk factor for sexual harassment due to moral licensing processes. The prosocial nature of the work in NPOs can lead potential harassers to engage in sexual harassment based on their past moral behavior, and observers may tolerate such behavior due to overly positive perceptions of the harassers. The authors suggest future research and appropriate actions to address this issue.