Workers sometimes experience sexual harassment on the job, but they keep the story to themselves. They don’t report it to HR. They don’t even tell coworkers.
But why does this happen? These people may have a very valid case that they could bring against their employer, but they decide not to say anything. There are a few different reasons to consider.
They’re worried about the ramifications
One of the major issues is that the person worries there will be negative ramifications. Say that they report their supervisor for sexual harassment. But the supervisor tells a very different story, and the employee ends up getting terminated.
They don’t think people will believe them
Similarly, many people are worried that they won’t be believed, especially if they don’t have concrete evidence like video footage. If the other person just gives a different account of what happened, they worry that they may be blamed for the events or that other people at the business will view them negatively. Rather than being treated like the victim that they are, they worry that they will be ostracized.
They don’t know what rights they have
In some cases, people don’t say anything because they’re just not sure what they can do. Maybe they assume that sexual harassment coming directly from an employer or company owner isn’t going to stop because that person owns the business itself. The power imbalance between an owner and an employee can feel significant, even if the employee knows they have been wronged.
No one deserves to suffer sexual harassment on the job. If this has happened to you, be sure you know what legal steps to take moving forward.