◆90% of People have been Harassed in the Workplace
According to a survey conducted by the website magazine “Kawaraban” that asked website users about workplace harassment 90% of respondents said they had been harassed at work. (316 total respondents. 139 male, 177 female. Ages 10-19: two people, 20-29: 121 people, 30-39: 100 people, 40-49: 70 people, other: 23 people).
◆Moral Harassment is at the top
Within the different categories of harassment 83.2% of respondents experienced “Moral Harassment.” From there the most commonly experienced categories were “Age Harassment” (25%), “Sexual Harassment” (21.5%), and “Alcohol Harassment” (15.2%).
Furthermore, “Smoke Harassment,” “Technology Harassment,” “ Marriage Harassment,” “Smell Harassment,” “Power Harassment,” “Maternity Harassment” are also mentioned categories, showing that there are many different kinds of harassment.
◆Specific Cases
Some specific examples of harassment include, “Baseless gossiping about me with the manager just because someone didn’t like me,” “Harassment via e-mail during a day off,” “Being reprimanded when a mistake is made because I am over 50, while younger employees are not for the same mistake,” and “clearly impossible job assignments.”
While the kinds of harassment are various, there is a clear problem with “receiving violent harassment” also being mentioned.
◆The Risk of Neglecting to Deal with Harassment
The fact that 90% of respondents in this survey said that they were harassed at some point is a very significant result.
While there are many cases of harassment, the receiver’s subjective perception of a particular incident can to some extent influence whether or not it is harassment. However, in the case when an employee perceives harassment and feels stress, then they may also have mental health issues or trouble with management. Neglecting to resolve that kind of situation can become a risk for the company.
Also, harassment can have a significant influence on production activity if it spreads all around the company. Therefore, in order to improve a corporate culture it is essential for a company to keep an eye on the attitudes and exchanges of employees within the scope of the company.
