OTTAWA - Nearly one-quarter of Canadians who participated in an online survey say they have personally experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, but more than half decided against reporting it.
Navigator, a major Toronto-based public relations firm, conducted the online survey of 2,000 people countrywide last month.
Just over a third of the women and 12 per cent of the men who took part in the survey said they had personally experienced sexual harassment at work, with another 10 per cent of respondents saying they thought they had, but were not sure whether it met the criteria.
Of those who were willing to answer more questions about their experience, 38 per cent said the harasser had influence over their career.
A third of those who had personally experienced sexual harassment said they reported it to someone in a supervisory position, whereas 57 per cent said they did not report it to anyone at work.
Meanwhile, 81 per cent of respondents suggested allegations must be investigated thoroughly before the person accused of sexual harassment suffers any consequences, given the potential damage to careers and personal lives.
