You have been living under a rock if you haven’t heard about the “me too” movement and the recent sexual misconduct allegations involving a number of celebrities and politicians including Roy Moore, Harvey Weinstein and Russell Simmons. In a recent survey, 60% of women reported that they had experienced some form of sexual harassment. A Cosmopolitan survey revealed that 1 in 3 women ages 18 to 34 has been sexually harassed at work.
The EEOC defines sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. Some examples of workplace harassment include:
- Sharing sexually inappropriate images, posters or videos, such as pornography, with co-workers
- Sending suggestive letters, notes, or e-mails
- Making lewd jokes
- Making sexual comments about appearance, body parts or offensive remarks about once sexual orientation
- Staring in a suggestive manner or making sexual gestures
- Touching that is inappropriate (this includes patting, rubbing up against someone, pinching, etc.)
There are a number of reasons why sexual harassment prevails in workplaces. One reason is because some employees simply are not aware of what is appropriate and inappropriate at work. Organizations would benefit greatly from training on workplace behavior, specifically in regard to sexual harassment. Another reason this type of harassment runs rampant is because few people report the incidents leaving harassers unaware and unaccountable.
I experienced a situation on the job that I felt was inappropriate. I went to sign out for the end of day and my colleague got behind me very subtly and whispered something in my ear. While I couldn’t make out exactly what he said because of his accent, his closeness alone made me feel violated and uncomfortable. The look in his eyes and his demeanor had crossed the line of friendliness. This was the same guy who had been a little too friendly in times past but this time it actually creeped me out. I immediately went to my boss.
Never let guilt or fear prevent you from speaking out.
So what should you do if you experience sexual harassment at work? You should speak up! Do not let the fear of 
losing a job or being isolate at work stop you from protecting yourself. You cannot lose your job for reporting harassment, there are federal laws in place to protect employee rights. Everyone deserves to work in a place that is safe.
Here are some specific steps you can take.
- Consult the Employee Handbook and follow the procedures outlined there.
- Let the harasser know that you felt violated and tell them to stop!
- Take notes of the harassment so that you have a paper trail –detail the exact occurrence, date , time and location of the offense.
- If the behavior continues, present the information to your supervisor and to the Human Resources.
- If your place of employment does not respond well to your complaint, report the incident to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
If touching was involved, this is sexual assault and instead of following the steps above, call the police and report the incident to management immediately. This is a crime and a criminal investigation is needed.
Remember, you have a voice! Never be afraid to use it! Never let guilt or fear prevent you from speaking out. If you need advice or are unsure of how to proceed in a reporting an incident, consult RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network).
