The Me Too and Time’s Up movements brought workplace sexual harassment into the open and provided people with the courage to speak out and hold offenders accountable. It spanned the globe and impacted every type of industry.
Even though companies have come a long way in addressing sexual harassment in the workplace, there’s still much work to do. Subtle forms of harassment often fly under the radar and may be considered harmless. However, they create a toxic environment and affect workers’ morale, productivity and mental health.
Subtle sexual harassment is still harassment
On the surface, subtle sexual harassment may not immediately appear offensive, but such behaviors are inappropriate and unwelcome. They often fall into gray areas as employees are unsure how to interpret or respond to them. Subtle sexual harassment comes in many forms, for example:
- Suggestive comments or “dirty” jokes, or jokes that reference someone’s appearance or sexual life
- Unwanted compliments focusing on someone’s physical appearance
- Prolonged eye contact, inappropriate winks or other nonverbal gestures that may be considered suggestive
- Touching under the guise of politeness, like placing a hand on someone’s lower back
- Showing explicit photos or forwarding inappropriate videos or memes
- Invading someone’s personal space
- Repeated invitations despite rejection
Such behavior is often dismissed as harmless, or the perpetrator may claim their friendly behavior was misunderstood. But subtle sexual harassment damages workplace environments in several ways, such as:
- Creates uncomfortable power dynamics
- Erodes trust in the organization
- Impacts the employee’s job performance and mental health
- Lessens job satisfaction
Document any incidents of inappropriate behavior, including dates, times, locations and what was said or done. Speak with your supervisor or HR person and describe how the interactions made you feel. If the issue persists or retaliation occurs, your next step should be to reach out to a legal professional. You have the right to a work environment free from any type of sexual harassment.