Study of Harassment in the Workplace

We did it! We've converted the Report of the Co-Chairs of the EEOC Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace into 768 tweets. 1 tweet per hour. We're grateful to @chaifeldblum, Victoria Lipnic, and the @USEEOC for this important work. #EEO #StopHarassment

…disgust, envy, fear, lowered satisfaction with life in general, and abuse of prescription drugs and alcohol.[83] Physical harm can also result. Studies have linked sexual harassment to decreased overall health perceptions or satisfaction, as well as headaches, exhaustion,…

…effects of sexual harassment can rise to the level of diagnosable Major Depressive Disorder or PTSD.[82] Sexual harassment has also been tied to psychological effects such as negative mood, disordered eating, self-blame, reduced self-esteem, emotional exhaustion, anger,…

I was recently diagnosed with hypertension on July 13, 2015, and I am only 36 years old." "[The harassment has] caused devastating loss of income, reputation, missed opportunities, mental health and physical health problems." One study found that the psychological…

…discrimination as well as unwanted sexual harassment on my job and retaliation by my employer for addressing the issue. The distress and mental anguish that I have endured has affected my health.

…symptoms of depression, general stress and anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and overall impaired psychological well-being.[81] The Personal Effects of Harassment: Selections from Stories Shared with the Select Task Force "I have faced sexual…

It begins with the reality that harassment causes personal harm to the victim. Numerous studies have identified the damaging effects of mistreatment in the workplace, mainly focusing on sexual harassment. Employees experiencing sexual harassment are more likely to report…

An employer consciously moves resources away from its business plan to respond to the complaints. However, there are a host of indirect costs that, while often invisible, can tower over the direct costs.

…workplace harassment are significant. But by no means are financial costs the only repercussions. Indirect Costs: Decreased Productivity, Increased Turnover, and Reputational Damage Direct costs tied to harassment complaints are largely visible.

…fiscal year 2015, the Commission filed 33 lawsuits containing a harassment allegation.[79] During the same time, it resolved 42 lawsuits involving harassment, recovering over $39 million in monetary benefits for employees.[80] Simply put, the direct financial costs of…

One estimate of settlement payments and court judgments solely in 2012 for harassment lawsuits clocked in at over $356 million.[77] The largest sexual harassment jury award in 2012 totaled $168 million.[78] Harassment litigation initiated by EEOC has also cost employers. In…

…employment disputes, not just harassment claims, the time, energy, and resources devoted to those claims would apply to harassment claims, as well. Litigation of harassment claims tends to be even more expensive.

…handle them internally - for 275 days, on average.[75] Beyond their study of the closed claims, Hiscox estimated, based on 2014 data, that U.S. employers had at least an 11.7% chance of having an EEO charge filed against them.[76] While this data applies to a broader range of…

…they found that 19% of the matters resulted in defense and settlement costs averaging $125,000 per claim.[74] And of course, for the 81% of studied charges that did not result in a payment by the insurance company, precious time, energy, and resources were still required to…

…A recent study by Hiscox, a liability insurance provider, paints the picture of the costs of employment disputes (albeit not only harassment claims) more broadly.[73] Studying a representative sample of closed employment dispute claims from smaller- and mid-sized companies,…

…EEOC's pre-litigation process 33 lawsuits filed by EEOC (23% of all suits filed) alleged harassment 42 lawsuits resolved by EEOC (27% of all suits resolved) alleged harassment $39 million in monetary benefits secured for employees in EEOC lawsuits involving harassment …

…varied nature of the federal workforce and its worksites.[72] EEOC 2015 Statistics in the Private Sector 27,893 charges received (31%) alleged harassment 28,642 charges resolved (31%) alleged harassment $125.5 million secured for employees alleging harassment in…

…harassment through the Commission's administrative enforcement pre-litigation process alone.[71] While we do not have strictly comparable cost data with respect to the various agencies of the federal government, we surmise it would likely be similar, given the diverse and…

Of those, 5,518 charges involving allegations of harassment were resolved in favor of the charging party through the administrative process, resulting in $125.5 million in benefits for employees. Since 2010, employers have paid out $698.7 million to employees alleging…

Indeed, since 2010, employees have filed 162,872 charges alleging harassment.[70] Charges of harassment come at a steep cost for employers. The Commission resolved 28,642 harassment allegations in 2015.