top of page
Search

Sexual Harassment at Work Can Severely Impact Workers

Writer's picture: Anne-Marie LanganAnne-Marie Langan

Updated: Oct 8, 2024

By Matthew Benoit*


Workplaces should engender an environment of respect and safety. When either of those components is missing, the impacts are felt immediately and can be severe for the workers affected. Unfortunately, this occurs far too often, especially in the form of sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual harassment can have devastating effects on mental health. It can cause the emergence of new health concerns and exacerbate existing ones. Sexual harassment can make a workplace actively hostile to a worker’s well-being, and negatively impact whether a worker attends work and their performance there.



Duba et al appropriately identify that “These acts are offensive to dignity because of their degrading or humiliating nature [and] create an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.” In terms of organizational climate, three aspects are particularly important: “perceived risk to victims for complaining, a lack of sanctions against offenders, and the perception that one’s complaints will not be taken seriously.” To prevent sexual harassment and the negative impacts it brings, each of these areas must be attended to. Sexual harassment can occur even in the best-run workplace, but having mechanisms in place that encourage workers to stamp it out whenever it happens helps prevent it from becoming endemic.


This is further demonstrated by the fact that typically “sexual harassment occurs in an environment of general mistreatment in the workplace.”

Nearly one in five men and one in three women aged 50 and over report experiencing sexual harassment throughout their lifetime at work. In particular, women seem to be more likely to suffer negative mental health impacts after experiencing sexual harassment. At particular risk are women already experiencing mental health challenges, as exposure to sexual harassment post-symptom onset saw the levels of those symptoms increase; “Particularly striking was the five-fold higher risk of incident depressive disorder among participants exposed to the onset of sexual harassment by workplace personnel compared to those who remained unexposed.”


As such, workplaces must take definitive action to prevent sexual harassment and to mitigate the damage it can inflict on mental health. There are several ways to go about this.


First, workplace sexual harassment training should not be a one-time occurrence. Training should be regularly provided, and tailored to address any ongoing concerns specific to that workplace. Management especially should be engaged in comprehensive sexual harassment training, including on how to effectively and sensitively address complaints of sexual harassment.


Second, workplaces should implement anonymous methods of reporting incidents of sexual harassment. One of the most significant factors workers identify for not reporting sexual harassment is that the harassment is being done by a superior, and they feel uncomfortable reporting a superior or that their report won’t be taken seriously. Allowing for anonymous complaints allows individual workers, who may be part of a larger group of workers experiencing the same harassment, to avoid being singled out to face reprisal.


Third, workplaces should facilitate mental health support for those workers who experience sexual harassment. This includes provided workers with mental health resources as well as providing time off to access those resources.


*Matthew Benoit grew up in St. Thomas, Ontario. He received his law degree at the University of Toronto after receiving an HBA and an MA in English at Wilfrid Laurier University and Lakehead University, respectively. He was awarded Lakehead University President’s Award for his academic accomplishment, community service, and contribution to the welfare of the university. His areas of academic interest are comics, Indigenous literature, literary theory, ludonarratives, Medieval and Early Modern literature, and science fiction. His areas of legal interest are administrative, constitutional, and criminal law. He is currently articling at the Northumberland Community Legal Centre and previously summered at the Middlesex County Crown Attorney’s Office. He enjoys academic writing, hiking, gaming, fencing, tennis, and weightlifting.


Disclaimer: This post contains general legal information as of October 4, 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.

25 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page