ACTU survey reveals two thirds of women, one third of men sexually harassed at work

Two thirds of women and one third of men have been sexually harassed at least once at work and there’s one group of people most commonly doing the harassing.

Male managers and co-workers aged over 40 are the most common sexual harassers, a new survey has found.

The final results of an ACTU survey of almost 10,000 people shows two thirds of women and one third of men have been sexually harassed at least once at work.

The most common form of sexual harassment was crude or offensive behaviour, followed by unwanted sexual attention, inappropriate contact and sexual coercion.

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Male managers and co-workers aged over 40 are the most common sexual harassers, a new survey has found.

Most people — both male and female — said they were harassed by male managers and co-workers. More than 60 per cent of harassers were over 40 years old.

The full report, released on Tuesday, suggests workplaces aren’t doing enough to support victims, with almost half saying their complaint wasn’t taken seriously and more than a quarter saying they were treated less favourably after making a complaint.

ACTU president Michelle O’Neil said current rules ­“do not require employers or ­regulators to take positive, ­proactive steps to prevent ­sexual harassment in the workplace, which means the burden rests solely on the ­individual”.

“Workers who complain need access to fair, effective and efficient complaints mechanisms,” Ms O’Neil said.