Workplace Sexual Harassment Poll Finds Large Share Of Workers Suffer, Don't Report

Indeed, while the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received about 7,500 charges of workplace sexual harassment in 2012 -- a number that has been fairly stagnant over the past few years -- the actual number of people who have experienced sexual harassment at work is likely much higher, according to Fatima Goss Graves, the vice president for education and employment at the National Women’s Law Center.

“It’s really difficult to measure because there’s a whole host of reasons why someone would never complain in the first place,” Graves said. “It’s a tough situation. You don’t necessarily want to take on the hassle, expense and personal costs that are involved.”

Victims often don’t report the harassment, Graves said, out of concern that they’ll be made to feel they’re somehow to blame for any unwelcome advances and because the various routes to complain -- which can range from reporting the conduct to your company’s HR professionals to filing a lawsuit -- are hard to navigate.

In addition, fear of retaliation is a “legitimate” concern, Graves said. A recent ruling from the Supreme Court may also make that path more difficult, by making it harder for workers to sue businesses for sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation.

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“The bottom line when you’re talking about harassment is that it’s truly one of the most significant barriers against someone’s ability to do their job,” Graves said.