A recent Survey released on Tuesday found that 20 per cent of employees in Germany have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment in the workplace.
The study published by the Nuremberg-based Institute for Employment Research found that 24 per cent of female workers are affected, significantly higher than the proportion of men, at 15 per cent.
Researchers questioned workers and businesses with at least 50 employees for the survey.
Incidents of sexual harassment are often not reported for fear of negative consequences or shame, the authors of the study note, stressing the importance of recording the perspective of employees.
Around 13 per cent of the companies surveyed stated that they had recorded at least one case of sexual harassment in the past two years, with the majority of those having occurred within the workforce.
Other cases reported involved external parties such as customers or patients.
In 1 per cent of cases, a manager was involved.
The study also showed that the likelihood of men experiencing or witnessing sexual harassment at work is more dependent on the industry than for women.
Men working in health care and social services as well as, to a lesser extent, in public administration, education and teaching, reported cases of sexual harassment significantly more often than those employed in other sectors.
Women are also significantly less likely to trust their employer to take countermeasures when reporting sexual harassment than men.
“Sexual harassment in the workplace is a widespread issue, affecting both employees and establishments,” the researchers said.
“Both establishments and employees indicate that sexual harassment negatively impacts productivity, absenteeism and turnover; however, most establishments lack preventive measures,” they concluded. (dpa/NAN)
