Sexual Harassment - Cost to Business

Sexual Harassment is a problem not just for employEES but also for employERS. Did you know that there are real and significant business costs associated with Sexual Harassment? Statistics show that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 20 men experience sexual harassment in the workplace.

The Business Case for Addressing Sexual Harassment
In addition to the moral imperative for addressing Sexual Harassment there is also a strong business case. Adverse Results may include:
• High levels of stress and demotivation among employees
• Reduced productivity
• Compromised teamwork
Increased absenteeism
• And in some cases, higher turnover-Company perspective – limits access to a diverse talent pool if potential applicants fear harassment.
There are Increased Costs associated with the above negative impacts. Although it is difficult to quantify how much money PNG businesses are losing every year due to Sexual Harassment, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research www.iwpr.org has compiled some interesting studies on the cost to American businesses – across multiple sectors it’s in the HUNDREDS of MILLIONS - $US!!!