Sexual harassment widespread at the workplace

Sexual harassment widespread at the workplace

Wed, Jul 09, 2008 The Straits Times

OVER HALF of 500 people surveyed by women's group Aware said they have been sexually harassed in the workplace.

Of these, one in five was a man.

Many of them said they have been sexually harassed several times, suggesting that this tends not to be a one-off, isolated event.

Key survey findings on Workplace Sexual Harassment by Aware 500 people took part in the Aware's survey on workplace sexual harassment, which was conducted from August to December 2007. Here are the key findings: 54 per cent experienced some form of sexual harassment. 25 per cent knew of others who had been sexually harassed at work. 66.6 per cent were not aware of any policies in their workplace on sexual harassment. 19.8 per cent experienced sexual harassment outside the office, including at office parties, client's offices, during team building events. 34 per cent of women respondents and 19.2 of men reported being harassed several times. 11.4 per cent reported receiving 'career threats such as termination, or withholding of promotion', if they rejected requests for a date or more serious forms of sexual favours. The most frequent form of sexual harassment was verbal harassment, followed by physical and visual harassment. 13.9 per cent said the harassment affected their work performance negatively, and 12.5 per cent feared losing their job. 17.3 per cent said they were harassed by their superior, while 26.8 per cent pointed the finger at 'a colleague'.

More than 10 per cent reported receiving 'career threats such as termination, or withholding of promotion' if they did not go along.

These are some of the key findings in the 16-month study by Aware to find out awareness and attitudes towards workplace sexual harassment in Singapore.

The study is the second by Aware - the first was done in 1994 but it focused mainly on Japanese companies in Singapore.

On why it decided to carry out a second survey, Ms Leigh Pasqual, chairman of the Aware sub-committee on workplace sexual harassment, said: 'We had a sense of indignation at the kinds of things we were hearing from our helpline.'

'The number of calls related to this is not a huge increase but it was the nature of the calls that caused some alarm for us.'

Its helpline received eight calls related to sexual harassment in 2006, which increased to 19 last year.

The survey also showed that nearly seven in ten of the respondents said they were not aware of any policies in their workplace on sexual harassment.

Eleven per cent said they received career threats such as termination or withholding of promotion if they did not comply with requests for a date or some forms of sexual favours.

Aware's president Constance Singam said there is a greater need now to acknowledge the existence of sexual harassment in the workplace.

'We need to raise awareness of the harassment, its definition and tell women and men that it's not acceptable,' said Ms Singam, urging women to speak up and say no, when being harassed.

'Government policies have to recognise and follow it up with legislation to a level of zero tolerance,' she added.

Labour MP Halimah Yacob said the statistics were higher than she had expected.

'As more women are entering the workplace, companies should consider putting in place policies to prevent the occurrence of sexual harassment and a system for such grievances to be addressed fairly when they are raised, said Mdm Yacob.

'Dismissing such complaints or trying to suppress them is not the right options.'