The Australian Human Rights Commission released a report on the 4th national survey on workplace sexual harassment in Australian workplaces. The report is very lengthy and we thought it might be in the interest of our readers to pull out some of the key points. The survey collected data on a range of areas including what we focus on in this article:
- The prevalence and nature of sexual harassment in the workplace
- The perpetrators of workplace sexual harassment
- The industries where sexual harassment occurs
- The reporting of workplace sexual harassment and the outcomes of complaints.
The most common forms of sexual harassment experienced were:
- offensive sexually suggestive comments or jokes: two-thirds of (59%) women and one quarter (26%) of men
- inappropriate physical contact: just over half of women (54%) and one quarter (23%) of men, and
- unwelcome touching, hugging, cornering or kissing: just over half of women (51%) and one in five (21%) men.
Level of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
In the last five years, one in three Australians were sexually harassed in the workplace. Women were more likely than men to have experienced sexual harassment with almost two in five women (39%), compared with one in four men (26%). In the last year, almost one in four women and one in six men were sexually harassed in Australian workplaces.
People who identify as gay or lesbian (47%) bisexual (57%) or with another sexual orientation (55%) were significantly more likely than people who identify as straight or heterosexual (31%) to be sexually harassed in the workplace over the last five years.
People aged 18–29 or 30–39 years (45% and 37% respectively) were more likely than those in other age groups to have been sexually harassed in the workplace in the past five years.
People with a disability were more likely than those without a disability to have been sexually harassed in their workplace in the last five years (44% and 32% respectively). Both men (35%) and women (52%) with a disability were more likely than those without a disability to have experienced workplace sexual harassment during this period.
Workplace sexual harassment occurred across all occupations:
- professional workers: 24% of victims (21% of male victims and 26% of female victims)
- clerical and office workers: 16% of victims (11% of male victims, 19% of female victims)
- service workers: 12% of victims (8% of male victims, 14% of female victims)
- manager executives: 11% of victims (14% of male victims, 10% of female victims), and
- sales workers: 9% of victims (8% of male victims, 10% of female victims).
The most common forms of workplace sexual harassment were offensive sexually suggestive comments or jokes and intrusive or offensive questions about a person’s private life or physical appearance. Young people aged 18–29 (8%) were the age group most likely to experience technology-based harassment. Half were sexually harassed on more than one occasion and most harassment occurred at the individual’s workstation.
See our article, 11 Mental Health Symptoms That Affect us Physically.
Who are the Perpetrators of Workplace Sexual Harassment?
Almost two-thirds (64%) of workplace sexual harassment incidents were carried out by a single perpetrator. The majority of workplace sexual harassment in the past five years was perpetrated by men, aged 40 or older. For nearly two out of five people who experienced workplace sexual harassment, the harassment occurred in a large organisation with 200 or more employees.
The most common relationships of the perpetrator to the victim were:
- a co-worker on the same level as the victim (27%)
- a client or customer (18%)
- a co-worker who was more senior than the victim (15%), and
- the victim’s direct manager or supervisor (11%).
20% who were sexually harassed at work reported that this type of behaviour was common in their workplace.
In What Industries Does Sexual Harassment Most Commonly Occur?
Workplace sexual harassment was notably higher than the national prevalence rate (33%) in the following industries:
- information, media and telecommunications (81% of employees in this industry in the last five years)
- arts and recreation services (49%)
- electricity, gas, water and waste services (47%)
- retail trade (42%)
- mining (40%)
- financial and insurance services (39%)
- accommodation and food services (39%), and
- education and training (39%).
Women were clearly more likely than men to have been sexually harassed in the mining industry. An estimated 74% of women in this industry have experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years, compared with 32% of men. 51% of women working in construction and 47% in transport, postal and warehousing were sexually harassed in the past five years.
See our article, Towards An Integrated Approach to Workplace Mental Health
Reporting and Seeking Support
The majority of people who were sexually harassed in the workplace in the past five years did not make a formal report or complaint.
The most common reasons for not reporting workplace sexual harassment were that the victim believed people would think they were overreacting or that it was easier to keep quiet.The behaviours that were most often experienced in the workplace tended to be the least likely to be reported. Offensive, sexually suggestive comments or jokes represented 31% of the most recent incidents of workplace sexual harassment, but only 10% of these incidents were the subject of a formal report or complaint. This was also the case for intrusive questions about an individual’s private life, which made up 18% of incidents but was reported in 13% of the cases. Inappropriate staring or leering that made the victim feel intimidated accounted for 11% of incidents but was the subject of a formal report or complaint in only 15% of cases and predominantly reported by men.
People were most likely to report workplace sexual harassment to their managers or supervisors at work and usually did so immediately after the action had occurred. Formal reports or complaints were most commonly finalised between the individual and their direct manager or supervisor or the head of their organisation. The Australian Human Rights Commission or a state/territory anti-discrimination agency was involved in finalising only 6% of formal reports or complaints.
The most common outcome for victims who made a formal report or complaint about workplace sexual harassment was that the harassment stopped. However, 20% of people experienced negative consequences as a result of making a formal report or complaint. They were labelled as a trouble-maker (19%), were ostracised, victimised or ignored by colleagues (18%) or resigned (17%).
Fewer than one in five people who experienced sexual harassment in the workplace sought support or advice.
See our article, Sexually Harassed: Achieving Respect at Work.
Once Reported, What Happened to the Perpetrator?
In almost half of cases where a formal report or complaint of sexual harassment was made, there were no significant changes at the workplace.
Where action was taken, the most common outcomes were that the perpetrator:
- was formally warned (30%)
- was informally spoken to (27%)
- apologised (23%)
- was disciplined in some other way (22%)
- was transferred to another area of the workplace (12%).
Tap into Safety is Part of the Solution
Sexual harassment, if left to continue, has been attributed to the individual’s decline in mental health. It is important that organisations recognise the impact and provide support and training. Organisations are now required to train their staff to recognise sexual harassment and where to report these incidents.
Tap into Safety offers e-mental health literacy training delivered online and via smart devices, anywhere, anytime on relevant workplace topics that impact mental health using fun animation, gamification and interaction.
We have developed a specific training course for Workplace Sexual Harassment. This course educates workplace staff to encourage open discussions on the topic which we expect to break down stigma and support those who speak up and seek help. It recommends strategies that workers can take if they are sexually harassed or witness harassment to others.
For businesses investing in workplace mental health, Tap into Safety helps by intervening early to support worker mental health better by providing relevant and interactive workplace wellbeing training. Our mental health literacy courses teach valuable coping strategies and encourage users to reach out for support (on average only 5% of employees access their Employment Assistance Provider when 20% have a mental health issue right now – stigma plays a huge role here).
Our mental health literacy training increases help-seeking by 100% as shown in the product evaluation conducted in 2017. By encouraging help-seeking early, we reduce the escalation of serious stress claims. This assists employees to tell us when they are not well or not feeling as good as they should.
This article is also available on the Tap into Safety Podcast.