In many cases, sexual harassment goes unreported forever. In other cases, there’s just a delay. Someone may eventually come forward, but the harassment they faced was months or even years before.
But why does this happen? Wouldn’t someone who is experiencing harassment on the job want to speak up as soon as possible? Below are a few potential reasons why people do not say anything about what they have experienced.
They are not sure anyone will believe them
Some victims worry about simply being believed by Human Resources, their employer, the authorities and other coworkers. If they do not think people will believe them, it seems like a risk to speak up—with very little chance of reward. So they stay quiet.
They are afraid of retaliation
Often, employees are experiencing harassment from superiors, such as executives or CEOs. They may be worried about illegal retaliation, such as being fired from their job, having their hours or wages cut or being blackballed in the industry. They don’t say anything because they want to preserve their job and can’t afford the loss of income.
They are afraid of being blamed
Victim blaming is also very common. An employee may be afraid of speaking up because they are worried that they will simply face criticism for inviting the harassment, going along with it or something else of this nature. Victim blaming is not fair, but it can be a legitimate concern that people have.
If you have faced harassment on the job, you do have legal options. Make sure you know what steps to take at this time.
