By Anne-Marie Langan*
Toxic behaviours such as sexual harassment can have devastating impacts on any worker including “anxiety, sadness, hypertension, sleep difficulties, loss of weight, nausea, poor self-esteem, and hormonal imbalances…. job loss, low morale, lack of job satisfaction, and irreversible harm to social working relationships”[i]. For younger workers it can also impact their connections at school and work, career potential and academic performance.[ii] Educators and employers who hire teens, such as fast-food chains, should therefore be paying more attention to preventing such behaviours and educating teens on their right to work in an emotionally healthy work environment free of sexual harassment.
Loraleigh Keashly correctly notes that work is “a source of identity, psychological health and provides opportunities for interpersonal connection and self-determination” and is therefore “central to their adaptation and social standing as adults” Thus, “what happens “on the job” has implications for adolescents’ sense of efficacy and confidence about who they are and their abilities to be successful as adults.”[iii]
Statistics Canada’s most recent data from 2024 reflects that 44% of women reported experiencing inappropriate sexualized behaviours at work, 20% discrimination based on sex and 13% experienced sexual assault in a workplace setting. One out of every three men also reports experiencing inappropriate sexualized behaviours in the workplace[iv] Given that as many as 80-90% of high school students have a job at some point during high school we can assume that many of them are being exposed to toxic behaviours such as sexual harassment in the workplace with harmful results[v].
Although not much research has been done on the impact of sexual harassment on young workers, one such study found that 52% of working female high school students surveyed had experienced sexual harassment at work[vi]. The impacts they described included a significant amount of school avoidance and academic withdrawal which can result in “absenteeism, decreased quality of school work, skipping or dropping classes, lower grades, loss of friends, tardiness and truancy”.[vii] This could negatively impact their academic success, chances for obtaining scholarships and career paths in general.[viii] The authors of this study highly recommend that school administrators and employers include training on sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination in the school curriculum and as a regular part of work safety training.[ix]
More specifically, workplace safety training for young workers should take into account that they are different in terms of their level of education and literacy, life experiences, and level of sophistication and have different vulnerabilities than older adults.[x] Power imbalances between teen workers and their older adult supervisors and customers also need to be considered when designing policies and training programs for youth.[xi] Training should include information about what constitutes inappropriate behaviour at work such as sexual harassment and discrimination, how to intervene when witnessing it, how to document and report it and how to access legal and mental health supports.
SHAPE (Sexual Harassment Advice Prevention and Education) offers free workshops tailored specifically towards young workers. For more information about these workshops please go to our website at: https://shapeyourworkplace.ca/.
[i] Get Impactly, Effects of sexual harassment in the workplace: 4 effects. Online Diversity and Sexual Harassment Training for Companies. (2023). https://www.getimpactly.com/post/effects-of-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace#:~:text=They%20also%20bear%20job%2Drelated,face%20physical%20and%20psychological%20discomfort.
[ii] Fineran, S., & Gruber, J. E. (2009). Youth at work: Adolescent employment and sexual harassment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 33(8), 550-559. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.01.001
[iii] Keashly L. Workplace bullying: the case of teen workers. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2012;24(1):49-56. doi: 10.1515/ijamh.2012.007. Epub 2011 Nov 29. PMID: 22909911 at p.7.
[iv] Government of Canada, S. C. (2024, February 12). Gender results framework: A new data table on Workplace Harassment. The Daily - . https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240212/dq240212a-eng.htm
[v] Fineran & Guber supra note ii.
[vi] Fineran & Guber supra note ii.
[vii] Keeshly supra note iii p.60.
[viii] Fineran & Guber supra note ii.
[ix] Fineran & Guber supra note ii.
[x] Stewart, S. M., & Davison, H. K. (2019). Teenage workers need sexual harassment training, #Teenstoo. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 12(1), 58–63. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2019.9
[xi] Ibid.
*Anne-Marie Langan B.A., B.S.W., LL.B., LL.M. is the project lead for the sexual violence projects at Peterborough Community Legal Centre, including the SHAPE project which provides legal advice and education for those experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace and the Your Way Forward project which provides support for those who have experienced intimate partner sexual violence. These projects are sponsored by the government of Canada's Justice Department and Legal Aid Ontario. She can be reached directly at anne-marie.langan@ptbo-nogo.clcj.ca.
Disclaimer: This post contains general legal information as of September 10, 2024, that may or may not apply in a particular situation. It is important to note that the law, government policies and available programs can change and this blog will not be updated to reflect these changes. It is highly recommended to seek legal advice from a lawyer about your particular situation.
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