Technology-facilitated abuse booming in workplaces: report

National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety says companies should deploy AI to stop sexual harassment, as research finds one in four people have harassed their colleagues.

Generic mobile phone. Picture: Istock

Companies should deploy Artificial Intelligence across employees’ devices to intercept workplace technology-facilitated sexual harassment, with new research finding one in four people have harassed their colleagues and that abuse through texts or phone calls is “prevalent and growing”.

In a survey of more than 3,000 people, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety found one in three men had engaged in workplace sexual harassment compared to one in six women.

And one in eight respondents said they had engaged in harassment using some form of technology, such as a text message, email or phone call.

ANROWS found employers were particularly concerned about the trends in light of a new obligation introduced last year known as the “positive duty”, which legally requires all Australian employers to eliminate workplace sex discrimination and harassment.

Of those who perpetrated technology-facilitated sexual harassment, more than half thought the victim would be “ok with it”.

Nearly 45 per cent said they believed the person would be flattered, while 30 per cent said they wanted to frighten the person and 30 per cent wanted to humiliate them.

Technology-facilitated abuse includes behaviours from sending overly personal messages and unwelcome sexual advances to sexually explicit or abusive communications and threats of physical violence such as rape.

Nearly 10 per cent of male perpetrators of workplace technology-facilitated sexual harassment said they had sent sexually suggestive comments to colleagues, while just under eight per cent said they had made repeated invitations to go out on dates.

A further five per cent confirmed having sent sexually explicit pictures, posters or gifts while three per cent said they had taken or created an intimate image or video of a colleague without their consent.

“Regardless of whether participants believed there was an increase in WTFSH during the pandemic, most felt that employers were ill-prepared for the consequences of the move to working from home, which had implications for those experiencing and perpetrating WTFSH,” ANROWS found.

Most perpetrators said they had used work emails when engaging in WTFSH, followed by personal phone calls or text messages.

“A combination of actions is required to address workplace technology-facilitated sexual harassment across employers, technology providers, and government policy and legislation … (including) use of automated and other technology-based AI tools to detect and intervene in potential harassing communications on workplace digital platforms in conjunction with human moderation,” ANROWS said in its report.

Overall, of those who disclosed engaging in WTFSH, 15 per cent described their industry as being in the information, media and telecommunications sector, followed by 8.4 per cent who indicated they worked in retail and 7.4 per cent who said they worked in construction.

“Survey participants were further asked about organisational or other responses to their workplace sexually harassing behaviours. Of the 1 in 7 survey respondents who had disclosed engaging in WTFSH, less than half said that a formal report or complaint had ever been made against them for such behaviours,” ANROWS said.

And only one per cent of cases resulted in a victim being paid compensation, according to ANROWS’ survey.

The data comes amid a nation-wide push to end gendered violence, with rallies taking place across the country as part of the movement.