How Seriously are Businesses Taking Workplace Sexual Harassment?

A recent study by Resume Now of sexual harassment in the workplace unearthed some disturbing data.

For example, out of 785 American workers, 34%, 266 people, agreed with the statement:

“Women are being too sensitive about the 'sexual harassment’ topic."

That is just one telling data point, but it represents a disturbing theme: sexual harassment is not being taken seriously enough.

In fact, sexual harassment is a rampant workplace problem. And this study confirms it.

More than half of the survey respondents reported having experienced sexual harassment at work. Women are still the main targets of sexual harassment. 62% of women said they’d been sexually harassed, vs. 48% of men.

Clearly, despite numerous high-profile cases, sexual harassment is still prevalent. The survey participants had endured a range of sexual harassment acts.

The top three:

Sexual comments or innuendos—43%
Sexual comments regarding the body—43%
Being called pet names or demeaning names (such as “baby,” “boy,” “honey,” “hunk,” etc.)—33%

The main perpetrator of sexual harassment for all respondents was “a colleague”—(51%).

Followed by:

40%—Senior employee
24%—Customer
24%—Boss
17%—C-suite executive

Those who experienced sexual harassment experienced symptoms, such as emotional exhaustion, anxiety and sleep problems, to name a few.

One such respondent reported what she had endured:

“The person grabbed my behind. It went on for 6 months. The person was promoted to a leadership position within my company.”

The number of victims is disturbing.

Resume Now details, according to research, the number of women who have experienced harassment from men in the workplace

Victims of sexual harassment shared what symptoms they experienced as a result.

Resume Now looks at some of the effects sexual harassment has on its victims

Survey takers had experienced a wide range of sexual harassment, from obscene comments to attempted rape. Most of the victims were women.

Resume Now looks at the types of sexual harassment women detailed receiving in the workplace, according to research

Victims of sexual harassment at work were given the floor to describe what had occurred.

Resume Now looks at some of the accounts of sexual harassment victims, in their own words

Sadly, half of those who’d been brave enough to complain about an incident of sexual harassment felt they had been fired as a result.

Resume Now looks at the outcome of sexual harassment complaints on victims in the workplace, according to research

67% had reported sexual harassment. But, just 47% felt that their complaint had been taken seriously.

Resume Now looks at the reporting of sexual harassments, and the satisfaction of outcomes

Some respondents admitted they had second-guessed their past actions. They weren’t sure if they’d sexually harassed an employee at some point.

Resume Now explores the hindsight opinions of its respondents on whether they changed their opinions on if they considered their experiences to be sexual harassment

The survey respondents’ attitudes towards sexual harassment were examined. A significant proportion held sexist ideas.

Resume Now looks at the perception of sexual harassment in the workplace among its survey respondents

Jennifer Pieniazek

Jennifer is a LiveCareer career advice writer and career expert. Her insights have been spotlighted in Forbes, MSN Money, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates and others. Jennifer is passionate about helping people from every background achieve their career goals.

https://www.livecareer.co.uk/