Harassment Is Still Prevalent in the American Workplace, Report Says

Harassment is still a major problem in American workplaces, according to a new report.

The report released Monday shows that one-third of discrimination charges received by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last fiscal year included workplace harassment, Slate reports. This includes sexual, racial and ethnic harassment.

Up to 60 percent of respondents experienced harassment at the workplace based on their race or ethnicity, while up to 58 percent of LGBT respondents have heard derogatory comments about sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace, and 41 percent reported being verbally and/or physically abused at work or having work spaces vandalized. Half of transgender respondents reported workplace harassment, including 7 percent who were physically assaulted.

Harassment often goes unreported, according to the report. About three out of four people who have experienced workplace harassment have never talked to a supervisor, manager or union representative about it.

“Harassment in the workplace will not stop on its own — it’s on all of us to be part of the fight to stop workplace harassment,” the report says. “We cannot be complacent bystanders and expect our workplace cultures to change themselves.”

[Slate]