Retaliation in any form can result in a range of negative consequences for those who experience it either directly or indirectly. Individuals can experience limitations in the opportunities to contribute and advance in their career, and they may feel as if their only response to the adversity is to leave the field. When an institution allows such retaliation to take place, the target’s sense of trust and dependency in the institution to maintain their safety and act on their behalf is negatively impacted. Retaliation can also have consequences for the broader community and the institution. For example, observers of retaliation can be affected by the low morale in the department or unit stemming from retaliation. The paper illustrates how legal protections can fall short when various types of retaliatory actions occur in academia and explores how institutions can creatively address retaliation with broader policies—policies that expand on and hone institutions’ current anti-retaliation practices, engender effective communication of their response to various forms of retaliation.

This individually-authored issue paper was created by members of the Remediation Working Group of the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education to explore the full implications of retaliation in higher education and develop a paper that provides relevant information as discussed in the 2018 National Academies report Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine brings together academic and research institutions and key stakeholders to work toward targeted, collective action on addressing and preventing sexual harassment across all disciplines and among all people in higher education. The Action Collaborative includes four working groups (Prevention, Response, Remediation, and Evaluation) that identify topics in need of research, gather information, and publish resources for the higher education community.

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