Breaking the Silence

How we can overcome the fear of reporting workplace harassment

As a Human Resources manager, it is imperative to understand the importance of addressing sexual or gender harassment in the workplace. Such incidents affect not only the victim but also the overall work environment. Finding an appropriate response and maintaining a safe working atmosphere for all employees is essential.

However, our research indicates that taking action against harassment can often be difficult. This highlights the need for HR managers to address this issue head-on and find ways to make reporting harassment easier and more effective in finding a resolution.

The reasons for not reporting are plenty and varied. Still, upon examining them, we can outline three areas in dire need of improvement if we effectively want to fight this ever-persistent issue.

Information

The first step towards a solution is recognizing that there is a problem. This is why information is vital. In a survey we conducted amongst a diverse group of people, around 40% stated that they had experienced sexual or gender harassment at work.

Out of those who stated they had not experienced either or were not sure whether they had, 37% had experienced a sexual comment made about their body, 42.7% had experienced an inappropriate compliment, 32.6% had experienced a joke about their intellectual capacity based on gender, and 24% had experienced derogatory slurs about their gender.

The discrepancy between the harassment people experience and the ability to recognize such behavior as harassment shows why information is the first step. All workplaces must offer their employees means to educate themselves and identify unacceptable behavior, both in others and in themselves.

This could mainly be done through HR managers who could implement educational campaigns to raise awareness of harassment to prevent it from happening in the future. They could also work towards making the workplace environment more comfortable so that employees feel safer to report harassment.

Throughout our research, one of the reasons that people do not report sexual or gender harassment was that, at the time, they did not consider the incident serious enough to report. Many expressed that, in retrospect, they wished they had reported the experience.

Sexual and gender harassment, even if the comments seem minor or humorous, can have lasting negative effects on the work experience of those affected. Anxiety, stress, and a loss of safety can even force a person to leave their workplace. This is why educating employees of all levels about harassment and the appropriate reporting channels is imperative.

Channels

This leads to the second area that companies desperately need to improve. Of those people who stated that they had not reported an incident, 17% expressed that the reason was that they did not know where or how to report it. An additional 13% thought it was pointless to report because they would not be believed. Furthermore, 11% did not report for fear of being labeled and affecting their reputation. And 3% stated they felt ashamed about the incident. All these reasons could be mitigated by implementing a safe, accessible, and comprehensive reporting channel.

Employees must know where and how to report sexual or gender harassment. They need to know they will not be judged, ridiculed, or punished for reporting an incident. They need to know that the information given will be treated with confidentiality. They must know they will be taken seriously and treated with respect and empathy. And they need to know that reporting this painful, personal experience will lead to change.

That is why our first product at Metta Space is creating a highly secure and anonymous reporting application for employees. We know that the first step to eradicating sexual harassment in the workplace is to ensure that reporting can be done in a safe, efficient, and transparent manner. Instead of promoting the silence, we want to break it by producing channels that focus on easy reporting processes that connect the employer with the employee.

Repercussion

All incidents of sexual or gender harassment are different. The attitude behind the comments or actions changes from person to person. Similarly, the way they are perceived and their effect on the psyche of those affected are different. This is why there cannot be a single cross-board response for all instances of harassment. Coming back to Newton, companies need to work out a way to find the appropriate reaction to the actions.

13% of respondents in our survey stated they did not report harassment because they thought it pointless: No one would listen, and nothing would change. But others also expressed concern for the person who had harassed them, not wanting them to suffer the repercussions.

This is why HR managers need to establish a multi-layered, flexible, and transparent system of responses to sexual or gender harassment. They need to take the experiences and opinions of their employees into account and find individual solutions for each case.

In the struggle against sexual and gender harassment, incentivizing and encouraging reporting is the first and most relevant step. Only then can those affected make their voices heard, and solutions can be found.

Written By: Anna Hattig, Research Ambassador at Metta Space

Edited By: Clémence Bouchard and Paula Koller-Alonso