#MeToo In The Workplace
A study of real employees sharing their stories of harassment
Posted on 04-01-2018, Read Time: Min
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HR Technologist
As the #metoo movement gains momentum, historical data continues to demonstrate that women were impacted by sexual harassment and assault in the workplace long before they had the opportunity to assign a hashtag to their comments. As a matter of fact, social media, news channels, and employer review platforms contain reels of claims and complaints describing sexual harassment in the workplace going back many years. These staggering statistics give the movement perspective.
Social Media
The #metoo movement is perhaps the most magnanimous effort to tally and document the sexual harassment and abuse of women at work in history. As of October 2017, #metoo has been used in 85 different countries across the world with over 1.7 million tweets. When you add Facebook statistics to that number (12 million posts by 4.7 million users), the numbers become overwhelming.
Sexual Harassment in the News
In October of 2017, ABC News and the Washington post conducted a poll to learn more about the magnitude of the problem, and the findings were alarming:
- 33 million American women have been the victim of sexual harassment
- 14 million women have experienced sexual abuse in the workplace
- 54% of American women have experienced unsolicited and unwanted sexual advances during their lives
- 30% of women have experienced these same sexual advances from male colleagues, and most of those male colleagues were in a position of power and had a say in the victim's career
- In almost all of these cases - 95% to be exact - the women polled indicate that the aggressor was never disciplined for his actions
Employer Review Platforms Open Eyes
Perhaps the first to give women a voice were employer review platforms , who have provided an open, uncensored place upon which employees can share their praise and concern for CEOs, leaders, and companies.
Considering there was no movement in place until only quite recently, the evidence of harassment and assault in kununu reviews is surprising:
Considering there was no movement in place until only quite recently, the evidence of harassment and assault in kununu reviews is surprising:
- There are over 1,100 mentions of sexual harassment in employer reviews
- Of these reviews, over half contain verbiage that is specifically indicative of “sexual harassment” or “assault” (such as sexual misconduct, sexually harassed, and sexually assaulted), and
- There are over 400 mentions of sexism at work, often referring to sexist policies, workplaces, and managers
Curious how it all correlates? Below are more images that show what words are used most when any of the phrases above are written. Not surprising to see that “women,” “management,” “male,” and “leadership” are some of the most used between both word clouds.
Considering that only 15% of women share their experiences with someone else, according to these statistics, the numbers above demonstrate that anonymous employer review platforms are providing a new way for women to discuss their experiences and alert others to prevent future abuse - a way in which victims are more comfortable expressing themselves.
While data continues to pour in, it's important that social media and employer review platforms continue to provide a needed avenue for free speech, a place in which women can connect with and empower one another, and an opportunity to bring to light the problems that plague American workplaces and American women today. While sharing experiences can feel threatening, the #metoo movement – such platforms give women a safe way to come together and work toward change.
Author Bio
| Moritz Kothe is the CEO of kununu. Visit www.kununu.com Connect Moritz Kothe Follow @kununu |
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