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Employers paid out $61.6 million to those alleging sexual harassment violations through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2021.
The amount paid out in 2020 was even higher at $65.3 million. This was significantly more than any amount collected prior to 2018 – the year high-profile cases shined a spotlight on sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement took hold.
While there has been a slight downward trend in the number of sexual harassment allegations filed with the EEOC, the overall number has remained consistent at more than 10,000 per year throughout the past decade. Greater awareness, it seems, has not resulted in drastically lower numbers.
Too often, employers expect sexual harassment to be easy to spot and easy to stop. Unfortunately, just like the people involved, harassment claims can be complicated, have different perspectives, and can be difficult to understand.
If a company’s approach to the problem of workplace sexual harassment isn’t working, its HR department may need to:
Workplace sexual harassment may never fully go away. Employers, however, should support any employee who reports harassment, while striving to make the work environment a safe place for everyone.
As society’s understanding of issues surrounding sexual harassment evolves over time, employers must recognize that their responses should also continue to evolve. The first step to that evolution is a thorough understanding of the issues.
Employers paid out $61.6 million to those alleging sexual harassment violations through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2021.
The amount paid out in 2020 was even higher at $65.3 million. This was significantly more than any amount collected prior to 2018 – the year high-profile cases shined a spotlight on sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement took hold.
While there has been a slight downward trend in the number of sexual harassment allegations filed with the EEOC, the overall number has remained consistent at more than 10,000 per year throughout the past decade. Greater awareness, it seems, has not resulted in drastically lower numbers.
Too often, employers expect sexual harassment to be easy to spot and easy to stop. Unfortunately, just like the people involved, harassment claims can be complicated, have different perspectives, and can be difficult to understand.
If a company’s approach to the problem of workplace sexual harassment isn’t working, its HR department may need to:
Workplace sexual harassment may never fully go away. Employers, however, should support any employee who reports harassment, while striving to make the work environment a safe place for everyone.
As society’s understanding of issues surrounding sexual harassment evolves over time, employers must recognize that their responses should also continue to evolve. The first step to that evolution is a thorough understanding of the issues.