Sexual harassment news has changed men's behavior

As awareness of the potentially career-derailing hazards of sexual harassment has increased, flirtatious activities in the American office have diminished significantly. A survey by Chilton Research, Radnor, Pa., for Men's Health magazine indicates that a majority of men (66%) are more careful about what they say and do around female co-workers as a result of the recent proliferation of news about sexual harassment. The telephone survey of 500 men, conducted in January, also reveals that while sexual harassment of men is still not a significant factor in the modern office, black men are far more likely to be harassed than their white colleagues. Nearly one-fifth of the black men questioned said they had been sexually harassed by someone in a position of power over them. Only 3% of white men reported such treatment.

In general, men who are harassed, the survey shows, are unlikely to report it. Among those questioned, 15% said they would feel insecure about turning in their female co-worker. Men who earn less that $15,000 per year (36%) are least inclined to report such behavior on the part of a female colleague. Only 5% of those questioned earning between $35,000 and $49,000 a year said they would feel insecure about reporting harassment. However, 17% of those earning over $50,000 annually said they would feel insecure about reporting a female co-worker for sexual harassment.

Among men who reported that they had been sexually harassed, 50% of those between the ages of 35 and 54 said they had reported the incident to someone in authority, while only 35% of those aged 18 to 34 said they had blown the whistle. Notably, two-thirds of the black men who reported having been harassed said they reported the behavior to someone in authority. Only 30% of the white men in the same category said they reported the incident.

The survey results indicate that black men (79%) are more likely to report greater caution about what they say and do around the office than white men (65%). Married men (43%) are more likely to report being sexually harassed than unmarried ones (33%). And southern men (50%) are more likely than men in the Northeast (25%) to report sexual harassment. Men in the West (23%) would feel most insecure about reporting a female co-worker for sexual harassment, while men in the Mid west (10%) would feel the least insecure about it. The news about sexual harassment has had the greatest impact on men in the West, where 72% said they are more careful about what they say and do around female co-workers.

Auto, vacation ads prove most popular

When it comes to getting the attention of consumers, ads for cars and travel win because they're interesting and informative. And the phenomenon applies to both television commercials and magazine ads, according to a survey conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide, Mamaroneck, N.Y.

As for entertainment value, TV ads for soft drinks and fast food triumph, as do magazine ads for soft drinks and vacation spots. Ads for feminine hygiene products get the worst marks.

Among TV commercials for products in 20 categories ranging from headache remedies to cold cereals, those for automobiles (36%), vacation destinations (35%) and travel services such as hotels, car rentals and airlines (29%) are considered interesting and informative by the largest number of people. The most entertaining commercials, according to the survey, advertise soft drinks (36%), fast food (31%) and athletic/running shoes (26%).

Opinions about print ads are similar, with ads for automobiles and vacation destinations (37% each) getting top marks for information, and those for soft drinks (27%) and vacation spots (26%) earning top ratings for entertainment. (Respondents were asked about print ads for products in 19 categories, most of them the same categories as were used to gauge TV commercials.)

The Roper Starch survey is based on a national sample of 2,006 men and women, 18 years old and older. Respondents took part in face-to-face interviews in their own homes.

Advertisements for products in other categories fared less well in the public eye. Survey results indicate that few people think commercials for feminine hygiene products and deodorants are interesting and informative (11% each). The public deems commercials for computers (7%) and feminine hygiene products (5%) the least entertaining.

Magazine ads that fared poorly were those for household cleaning products and liquor, each of which was considered interesting and informative by only 6% of the respondents. The least entertaining print ads are for feminine hygiene products (5%) and cigarettes (6%).

The Roper Starch survey also inquired about the types of ads people find in bad taste. The largest number of people named commercials for feminine hygiene products (39%), while beer commercials (22%) were the second most frequently cited. The smallest number of individuals think commercials for vacation destinations or travel services are in bad taste (2% each). Feminine hygiene print ads, like TV commercials, are considered in bad taste by the largest number of people (34%). Men and women alike find such ads to be in bad taste. Cigarette and liquor ads - which are not shown on TV - are considered in bad taste by over a quarter of the public.

Four in 10 people said either that they don't consider TV commercials for products in any of the 20 categories to be in bad taste (26%, a voluntary response), or that they don't know (17%). For print ads, the numbers are nearly identical: 27% and 17%, respectively.

Beer commercials, however, received mixed reviews. According to the survey, nearly equal numbers consider them entertaining (25 %) as those who think they are in bad taste (22%). More men than women find them entertaining (28% to 21%), while more women find them in bad taste (25% to 18%).
 
The study was part of a Roper Reports survey, a research service of Roper Starch Worldwide.

401(k) plans continue to grow

Already among the most popular and widely used company benefits in the United States, 401(k) retirement saving programs continued their rapid growth in 1993.

By the end of the year, more than 17 million Americans were participating in 401(k) plans being offered by nearly 209,000 companies, according to Access Research, an employee benefit consulting firm in Windsor, Conn. The company says 401 (k) assets rose 17% during 1993 to $480 billion and will more than double in the next five years, surpassing $1 trillion by the end of the decade.

One reason for the growth, according to the company, is the high participation rate among employees. Almost 75% of eligible employees participate in the average plan. Account balances are growing, too, as workers see the benefits of the plans. The account balance of the typical participant is more than $20,000, with annual contributions averaging nearly $3,000 per person, according to Access.

Most workers appear to be playing it safe. A guaranteed investment option remains the most popular choice among employees by a wide margin. In plans where a guaranteed option is offered, it usually attracts 50% of all participant-directed assets.

This probably will change, however, as a result of recent federal regulations that encourage employers to provide multiple investment options, and expanded retirement planning and investment education to employees in 401(k) plans.

Access predicts that small companies will be responsible for most of the growth in the number of new 401(k) plans. The firm forecasts a 50% Magazine ads that fared poorly were those for household cleaning products and liquor, each of which was considered interesting and informative by only 6% of the respondents. The least entertaining print ads are for feminine hygiene products (5%) and cigarettes (6%).