Cases of Sexual Harassment at Work

Reported cases of sexual harassment at work going up is regularly presented as a worsening problem. It is more often a reporting change.

Prevalence has always exceeded reports by a wide margin, because reporting has historically cost the person far more than staying quiet did. When an organisation improves how it responds, more of what was already happening simply becomes visible.

Which creates a perverse incentive worth naming. A manager judged on low complaint numbers has a reason to discourage them, and organisations that report complaint volume upward as a performance measure get exactly that.

A better read looks at two things together. Reports rising while time to resolution falls is a system working. Reports falling with nothing else changing is not reassuring at all.

The Australian Human Rights Commission publishes national research. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s sexual harassment course and incident reporting software.