Many employees experience sexual harassment on the job and never report it. Others will eventually report it, but there might be a significant delay. For instance, an employee may only come forward years after the event takes place, perhaps influenced by hearing the testimony of another employee who alleges that the same thing happened to them.
But why is there this delay in reporting? Why do some employees fail to report these incidents at all? Below are a few potential reasons.
Fear of retaliation
To begin with, some employees are afraid of illegal retaliation, such as being fired from their job or being blacklisted in the industry. Many people are highly dependent on their jobs and live paycheck to paycheck, so the thought of suddenly losing their income is very concerning.
They don’t think anyone will believe them
Another reason is that employees sometimes think they won’t be taken seriously or that other people won’t believe them. This may have to do with the power dynamics. Perhaps a receptionist wants to file a sexual harassment claim against the CEO of a million-dollar corporation, but is afraid to do so because they think everyone will just side with the CEO.
They’re worried about being blamed
In some cases, employees will even think that they were to blame or they will be worried that others will blame them. The hypothetical receptionist may be worried that they will be labeled problematic for having a relationship with the CEO, for example, when that was never a relationship that they wanted in the first place.
Understanding these reasons helps to show why these cases are so complex. It’s important for those involved to understand what legal options they have.