# You’re being sexually harassed at work. Should you report? > URL: https://www.aftermetoo.com/article/youre-being-sexually-harassed-at-work-should-you-report/ > Language: en > Description: Whether to report comes down to whether your employer will handle it well—how to read the warning signs before you decide. --- Important “Reporting” means making an official report or complaint. If you want information about how to talk about harassment informally, see [How can I talk with my employer to get them to stop the harassment?](https://www.aftermetoo.com/article/how-can-i-talk-with-my-employer-to-get-them-to-stop-the-harassment/) The information here is only about what happens if you make a formal report. Most people don’t report workplace sexual harassment. - They think what happened wasn’t serious enough. - They don’t think anyone will do anything about it. - They’re afraid their employer will punish them. If you decide to report, there can be a big difference between *what’s supposed to happen* and *what actually happens*. We’re going to tell you about both. ## **What’s supposed to happen** when people report sexual harassment In most workplaces, reporting is supposed to trigger a series of steps. Most employers are obligated—either by law or by internal policy—to launch an investigation. What’s supposed to happen is this: - Your employer should appoint a person to investigate your complaint. - That person should try to figure out whether you were sexually harassed. - If the investigator determines you were sexually harassed, your employer should then take steps to make sure the harassment stops. A good employer will talk with you to figure out what would make you feel safe at work, and will try to do what’s necessary so you *do* feel safe. Important If the person who’s harassing you is your boss, your employer is still supposed to carry out an investigation. The person investigating the harassment is not supposed to be the person who is harassing you, or anyone who works for that person. That can be difficult in a small company, or if it’s the CEO who’s harassing you. But that’s how it’s supposed to work. If your employer decides that, yes, you were sexually harassed, here are some examples of things they might do. - Reprimand the harasser and tell them to stop harassing you. - Suspend the harasser, with or without pay. - Move the harasser to a different work location, change their shift, or move them to a different department, so they don’t work with you. (Or, in the case of a client or customer, assign a different person to work with the harasser, so you don’t have to.) - Remind all employees about sexual harassment laws and policies. - Develop new policies for reporting and stopping sexual harassment. - Require the harasser, and sometimes also other people, to take sexual harassment training. - Require managers to take training in how to prevent sexual harassment and stop it when it happens. - Fire the harasser. (Or, in the case of a client or customer, refuse to provide services to them anymore.) Your employer may not tell you about all the steps they take. If they punish the harasser, they may need to keep that confidential. ## **What actually happens** when people report sexual harassment It depends on the employer. About half of employers carry out a proper investigation. Some are sympathetic but don’t do much. Some do nothing. What’s worse, some employers punish people who report. That’s called a reprisal. It’s illegal for employers to punish a person for reporting sexual harassment, but it’s very common. About a third of the people who report sexual harassment say they ended up getting punished for it. Here’s what the experts say about reporting. > A typical reporting procedure requires the victim to relive and recount (sometimes multiple times to multiple people) what may have been a humiliating, frightening, or traumatizing experience. It is not uncommon for victim identities to be divulged during investigations and for victims to lose all sense of agency or control over the situation. > > Lilia M. Cortina, professor of psychology, Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Michigan. > Maira A. Areguin, graduate student, Joint Program in Women’s and Gender Studies and Personality & Social Contexts, University of Michigan. > “[Putting People Down and Pushing Them Out: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace](http://sci-hub.se/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012420-055606).” > Among people who file harassment complaints with the [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission], at least one-third say that after complaining to the company they were demoted, moved to lousy jobs or shifts, fired, raped, or further harassed. Indeed, as several large-scale surveys [show](https://www.mspb.gov/studies/studies/Sexual_Harassment_in_the_Federal_Workplace_Trends_Progress_Continuing_Challenges_253661.pdf), people who file harassment complaints are much more likely to lose their jobs than those who experience similar levels of harassment and say nothing. > > Frank Dobbin, professor of sociology, Harvard University. > Alexandra Kalev, associate professor of sociology, Tel Aviv University. > “[Training Programs and Reporting Systems Won’t End Sexual Harassment. Promoting More Women Will](https://hbr.org/2017/11/training-programs-and-reporting-systems-wont-end-sexual-harassment-promoting-more-women-will).” ## **How to tell** whether your employer will handle your report well There’s no way to know for sure. But here are some questions you can ask yourself: - Is your workplace aggressive and competitive? - Is leadership mostly male? - Do some people at your work have a lot of power and others very little? - Do people talk and joke about sex a lot? - Do people openly make fun of other people? - Are people openly racist or sexist? - Have you ever seen anyone treated badly, and nobody stopped it? - Is there anybody who everybody knows harasses people, but nobody has stopped them? Those are all bad signs. If they describe your workplace, that would suggest your employer may not take sexual harassment very seriously. Here are some more questions: - Does your workplace seem like it cares about fairness? - Does your boss seem to care about you as a person? - Is there an HR department? - Have you ever gotten sexual harassment training at work? - Is there a sexual harassment policy that’s easily available to you? - Is your workplace pretty balanced in terms of gender? - Are there women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and racialized people in leadership positions? - Would you be able to report to someone who is not a man? - Do you know and trust the person you’d be reporting to? - When people at your work behave badly, does anybody stop them? - Does your workplace seem like it respects the people who work there? - Does it seem like it cares about them as people? If any of those describe your workplace, that’s good. It suggests your employer may take sexual harassment seriously, and may handle your report well. [Read how to report sexual harassment to your employer](https://www.aftermetoo.com/article/how-to-report-sexual-harassment-to-your-employer/) --- ## Article reviewers Aftermetoo articles are reviewed by members of the following panel of people and organizations. Not every member reviewed every article; regional articles were reviewed by lawyers in that jurisdiction. - Kathleen Avery, LLB, lawyer, Yukon Workers’ Safety and Compensation Board - Barbara Bergmann, JD, lawyer, Workplace Sexual Harassment Clinic/Yukon Legal Services Society - Meredith Brown, JD, lawyer, Calibrate - Stephen Carpenter, LLB, lawyer, Workers Compensation Board of PEI - Amber Chisholm, JD, associate director, Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick (PLEIS-NB) - Callandra Cochrane, JD, lawyer, Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic - Alexander Dezan, JD, legal counsel, Yukon Human Rights Commission - Sandra Guarascio, JD, lawyer, investigator, facilitator, Roper Greyell LLP Employment + Labour Lawyers - Andrea Gunraj, vice-president, public engagement, Canadian Women’s Foundation - Sara Hanson, JD, senior associate, Moore Edgar Lyster LLP - Noah Jacobs, BA, Public Legal Information Association of NL - Khurram Khurshid, LLB, research officer, New Brunswick Human Rights Commission - Raphaëlle Laframboise-Carignan, JD, lawyer, RavenLaw LLP - Kevin Love, JD, lawyer, Community Legal Assistance Society, BC - Sarah McCoubrey, BFA, JD, MEd, lawyer, Calibrate - Lesley McCullough, JD, founder and director, Workplace Sexual Harassment Legal Clinic, Yukon - Alison McEwen, JD, RavenLaw LLP - Garreth McGrath, JD, legal support navigator, Public Legal Information Association of NL - Sarah McHugh-Wade, BA, legal support navigator, the Journey Project - Sandra MacKenzie, JD, lawyer, Lawson Lundell LLP - Anna-Marie Manley, LLB, lawyer, Patterson Law - Deepa Mattoo, LLB, lawyer and executive director, Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic - Loretta Merritt, LLB, LLM, lawyer, Torkin Manes Barristers & Solicitors - Chetan Muram, JD, counsel, Toronto Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic - Gobhina Nagarajah, JD, staff solicitor, Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission - Alex Norris, JD, associate, Carbert Waite LLP - Anita Nowinka, BSc, JD, associate, Carbert Waite LLP - Kim Nutz, JD, Sunstone Legal in association with West Legal - Kevin O’Shea, JD, executive director, Public Legal Information Association of NL - Coral Rajchgot, LLB, JD, former intern, Aftermetoo - Carley Reynolds, BA, criminology; JD, counsel, Donich Law - Lucie Roubin, avocate, Juripop - Ginette Savoie, director, Workers’ Advocate, Government of New Brunswick - Paméla Schiavoni, JD, lawyer, New Brunswick Human Rights Commission - Mary Shortall, president, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour - Morgan Sim, JD, MA, international relations, lawyer, Parker Sim LLP - Cécile Simon, JD, avocate-conseillère, Juripop, Bureau du respect de la personne - Michelle Squires, JD, project manager, Canadian Mental Health Association, York Region - Dayna Steinfeld, LLB, JD, Winnipeg lead lawyer, RavenLaw LLP - Keir Vallance, JD, lawyer, Bainbridge Jodouin Cheecham Barristers & Solicitors - Sherri Walsh, JD, managing partner, Hill Sokalski Walsh LLP - Madeleine Werker, JD, associate, Grosman Gale Fletcher Hopkins LLP - Canadian Labour Congress - The Help and Information Center on Workplace Harassment (GAIHST) - Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission