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Monday, January 16, 2023

Harassment an Ongoing Concern

Nearly three quarters of Canadians (71.4 percent) have experienced some form of harassment and violence or sexual harassment and violence on the job, according to a survey by the Western University Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children and the Canadian Labour Congress. The most at risk are gender-diverse individuals (82 percent for harassment and violence and 73 percent for sexual harassment and violence). Women (76 and 46 percent) were more likely to be targets than men (67 and 38 percent). The type of employment also showed differences.

5 Types of Workplaces Most at Risk
1.    Health and social assistant workers (76% harassment and violence and 44% sexual harassment and violence)
2.    Workers involved in the exchange of money (73 and 55%)
3.    Those who interact with the public (68 and 44%)
4.    Public administration workers (62 and 43%)
5.    Education services workers (62 and 33%)

5 Top Harassment and Violence Behaviours
1.    Verbal intimidation (72%)
2.    Rumour spreading (71%)
3.    Persistent criticism (68%)
4.    Sabotaged/undermined performance (58%)
5.    Physical intimidation (50%)

5 Top Sexual Harassment and Violence Behaviours
1.    Sexual conversations (61%)
2.    Touching/invading personal space (60%)
3.    Sexual jokes/teasing (56%)
4.    Unwanted looks/gestures (42%)
5.    Unwelcome communications (29%)

Just over half of respondents (51 percent) said reporting incidents made no difference, and 70 percent were not happy with the response from their HR departments. 

According to a survey from the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WomanACT), safety concerns and fear of backlash from the perpetrator keep many workers (41 percent of women and 25 percent of men) from reporting incidents in the first place. 

5 More Reasons Why Workers Are Reluctant to Report Harassment
1.    Fear of stigma for speaking up (28%)
2.    Action not taken after reporting a previous incident (24%)
3.    Fear of not advancing in their career if they report (23%)
4.    Fear of being fired (17%)
5.    They do not know how to report incidents (9%)

The survey found that workplace training can make a difference. Some 60 percent of workers said they would feel more comfortable intervening or reporting incidents of harassment that they witness if they had training in how to do so. 

Clearly, both surveys show that employers still have a long way to go to make their workplaces safer.