According to a recent survey of working adults in Texas and around the country, 76% of the 1,023 survey participants believe the #MeToo social movement created positive changes on how employers are dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace. However, 44% feel as though the movement has created negative trust issues between human resource departments and employees. This belief was more common among working men ages 18 to 34.
While the survey showed positive gains toward empowerment of employees to report sexual harassment in the workplace, it also showed that there is still a long way to go in creating a work space free of sexual harassment issues. Most Americans feel as though more needs to happen to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and that employers need to do more to ensure human resource departments take complaints more seriously.
Educational opportunities, such as webinars, are good options for employers and human resource professionals to gain a better understanding of how to navigate this sensitive issue better. These seminars can also help employers understand other underlying discrimination issues that can further complicate harassment complaints, such as age, sex, race and religion.
For those who deal with sexual harassment in the workplace, everyday life can become a real challenge. Some workers are constantly afraid of what they will face each day at work and what the consequence will be should they decide to defend themselves and report the harassment. Furthermore, if an employee decides to report, they must be concerned about whether they will be believed by their human resource department. Victims of sexual harassment should not have to deal with such complex issues and decisions alone. Seeking the advice of an experienced sexual harassment attorney may make a difference in how victims are treated in the workplace, and it might be the deciding factor in putting a stop to the behavior.
