Why Respect at Work Matters

Every person has the right to work with dignity. Dignity means being treated as a person of value, with respect for your body, your privacy and your good name. When someone at work treats a colleague as an object, makes them feel unsafe, or makes their job depend on accepting unwanted behaviour, that right is taken away.

Sexual harassment is one of the most serious ways this happens. It can affect anyone: women and men, young and older workers, new starters and senior staff, employees and contractors. It happens in offices, factories, shops, hospitals, schools, site camps, offshore installations and online.

Why it matters to everyone

Sexual harassment harms the person who experiences it. It can cause fear, shame, anxiety, poor sleep and loss of confidence. Some people stop speaking in meetings, avoid certain shifts, or leave a job they liked.

It also harms the team and the organisation. People who see harassment and see nothing done about it lose trust in their managers. Good workers leave. Mistakes increase when people are afraid or distracted. An organisation can face legal claims, investigations and serious damage to its reputation.

Most importantly, harassment usually continues when people stay silent. A workplace where everyone knows what harassment is, and knows that reports are taken seriously, is a workplace where it is much less likely to happen.