Dealing with sexual harassment at work

Sexual harassment is when a person engages in unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature. The harassment can be written, verbal or physical. It can happen to men and women.

Sexual harassment may include:

unwelcome touching and physical contact
making promises in return for sexual favours
leering and staring
sexual gestures and body movements
comments of a sexual nature
questions about your sex life
sex-based insults
displaying rude and offensive material such as pornographic or explicit images
criminal offences such as rude phone calls, indecent exposure and sexual assault

How sexual harassment can affect you

Sexual harassment is a serious workplace difficulty. It can have a lasting impact on you.

You may:

feel stressed, anxious or depressed
want to stay away from work
have difficulty trusting your employer or the people you work with
lose confidence in yourself and your work
experience headaches, backaches and sleep problems
feel your life outside of work is affected
be less productive and have difficulty concentrating

Your rights

No one deserves or asks to be harassed. If someone makes you uncomfortable, tell them.

It is illegal to harass anyone in the workplace.

If you experience sexual harassment at work

Find out what your workplace policy is on sexual harassment. It should guide you on how to report it and deal with it.

Write down a record of what happened. Be as specific as possible. Include anything you have said or did to stop the behaviour. The record can be used to make a formal complaint.

Tell someone. Report the behaviour to Human Resources or your employer. They may help you in resolving the problem.

Remember:

if the behaviour is serious or shows no sign of stopping, it's advisable to make a written formal complaint
if the behaviour continues, you might need extra support such as mediation
if the person harassing you is your employer and they do not stop, get outside support - for example, from the Gardaí

It is your right to be protected at work.

Find out more about bullying and harassment