Whatever the workplace, team size or sector, sexual harassment can affect any employee. According to the 2022 IPSOS x Qualisocial barometer, 1 in 3 employees (35%) claim to have experienced moral harassment at work. Unsurprisingly, it is women who are most affected. According to an ILO study, 52% of women have been victims of sexual harassment at work, and 27% of men. These figures are far too high to stand idly by. So what can you do as a company to combat this phenomenon?
Hally, who offers concrete solutions to prevent and combat sexist and sexual violence, harassment and discrimination, has co-written this article with us to bring you the resources you need.
In the French penal code, sexual harassment is defined as "the fact of imposing on a person, in a repeated manner, comments or behavior with a sexual connotation which undermine their dignity by virtue of their degrading or humiliating nature, or create an intimidating, hostile or offensive situation for them." This includes sexual gestures, comments, writings, images or videos, as well as any form of serious pressure, even non-verbal, with the aim of obtaining sexual favors from the victim, particularly when linked to an abuse of authority.
Companies need to take preventive and punitive action, as this phenomenon can have serious consequences, not only for the individuals concerned, but also for the team, working conditions and performance. It is therefore a major QVCT issue for every organization.
In the workplace, sexual harassment can take a variety of forms. According to IFOP (European Observatory on Sexism and Sexual Harassment at Work), some of the most notable include:
Be careful: if a victim is subjected to non-consensual gestures on a sexual area, this is called sexual assault.
Obviously, sexual harassment in the workplace has unavoidable consequences for the individuals concerned, and more generally for the entire working environment.
Victims of sexual harassment in the workplace may suffer, among other things, from :
Also, according to the barometer on ordinary sexism in the workplace 2023 (StopE and AFMD initiative), "the consequences of ordinary sexism on the individual are tangible, indeed, faced with sexist behavior at work, one woman in two proves to be very affected and has already felt a sense of injustice, anger or humiliation."
Victims may feel guilt and shame, and suffer from traumatic neurosis: a looping of traumatic or humiliating scenes, which can ultimately affect self-esteem, according to the INRS.
Female victims of sexual harassment are more likely to have high blood pressure and sleep disorders (Source: Jama Internal Medicine).
All these factors concerning the health of victims have a far greater impact than their personal lives. As we know, people who feel good at work perform better: the reverse is even truer.
If someone is sexually harassed at work, they are more likely to be absent or to leave their job. Their productivity will necessarily be affected, as will their professional relationships.
In addition, colleagues who witness such comments or gestures will also be affected, and the general atmosphere at work will also deteriorate. Moreover, "while the negative effects are undeniable for the target of sexist acts, it's important to stress that witnessing/spectating sexist incidents also generates particular stress (bystander stress)" (source: Conseil supérieur pour l'égalité professionnel entre les femmes et les hommes, 2015).
Knowing the damaging impact on the health of your employees and your company, you may as well do everything you can to avoid it. To do this, you can implement a number of preventive actions and solutions.
There are several key questions you can ask yourself to guide your prevention approach. We give you a checklist to follow:
- Do I have designated referents to organize prevention and act as intermediaries?
Since 2019, it has been compulsory to appoint a referent person within your CSE, and to designate a second one in companies with more than 250 employees.
- Have I already communicated their name and role?
- Have these people been trained?
- Do I have a clear process to follow when problem behaviors are reported?
- Do I have trained people or lawyers (internal or external) to call on in the event of an investigation?
- Have I already communicated on these subjects, beyond the mandatory internal rules and posters?
Preparing an answer to each of these questions, and especially filling in the gaps, will enable you to lay the first foundations and better prepare yourself in the event of sexual harassment within your company.
You can rely on the key dates of March 8th or November 25th, but organize times throughout the year. This can be integrated into HR teams' training plans, particularly for people in management positions. If you are a member of an OPCO, you can apply for reimbursement of the cost of training provided by a Qualiopi-certified structure.
Face-to-face, by video, in a participative way to guarantee impact, or with a fun tool if you don't plan to make them compulsory to motivate the troops (video game, fresco format, theater...)...
We advise you to adapt each training format according to the audience, and therefore the responsibilities:
- Management & HR: know your employer's obligations, how to deal with a situation and how to sanction it.
- Managers: know how to react in your team, talk about it when a new person arrives, be alert to weak signals.
- Employees: knowing the limits, who to talk to and how to react as a witness.
Don't hesitate to use reminders, to make everyone aware of their responsibilities, especially those with the most seniority, managers and management, and to be vigilant at company parties, seminars and afterworks. You can complement this with additional awareness-raising sessions on subjects such as street harassment, gender equality, LGBTQphobia and domestic violence.
Despite your preventive actions, it's best to be prepared in case it happens, because unfortunately no workspace can avoid 100% of problematic behavior. That's why you need to anticipate how you'll support victims, and how you'll punish the people behind the problem.
Supporting victims :
To punish those responsible for the harassment:
Sexual harassment in the workplace is therefore everyone's business, not just HR's or managers'. Your role is to ensure that everything is in place to prevent it or to react in the event of a problem. Establishing a culture of solidarity and mutual support within your teams is also important, to make everyone aware of their role in the fight against inequality.
For an effective approach to combating sexual harassment, you can call on external resources to help you. Hally offers auditing solutions for reporting and support systems, awareness-raising and training workshops for your teams, and support in setting up customized projects, such as internal documents or guides. Find out more about Hally here.
And to manage your QVCT strategy as a whole, to ensure inclusion and equality, but also to take care of your employees' health and their working conditions, Moha supports you from A to Z with a diagnosis, a personalized action plan and a platform to centralize your approach. Find out more about our QVCT support here.
To find out more, discover these resources and associations:
- AVFT: The European Association against Violence in the Workplace https://www.avft.org/2003/08/29/lettre-de-protestation-de-lavft-a-la-realisatrice-du-documentaire-harcelement-sexuel-quand-la-drague-derape/,
- Défenseur des droits: French independent public institution that defends the rights and freedoms of citizens, fights discrimination and monitors respect for the rights of users of public services. https://www.defenseurdesdroits.fr/,
- Arrêtons les violences (can be called upon to deal with harassment and discrimination): This platform aims to combat sexist and sexual violence. It offers information, resources and support for victims of these forms of violence. The platform also offers tools to raise public awareness and prevent such behavior. https://arretonslesviolences.gouv.fr/,
- CFCV: CFVC, or Collectif Féministe Contre le Viol, is a French militant organization. Its main objective is to fight against sexual violence against women, as well as for the recognition of victims' rights and the prevention of such violence. https://cfcv.asso.fr/,
- Droits d'urgence: Combating exclusion by promoting access to the law for the most disadvantaged. https://www.droitsdurgence.org/,
