More than one-third of sexual harassment experienced by Alberta workers takes place online, according to a poll conducted by RA2 Research on behalf of the Workers’ Resource Centre (WRC). .“Examples of sexual harassment in the remote workspace may include inappropriate verbal comments, gestures, or digital communication of a sexual nature,” said WRC Executive Director Carolyn Krahn in a press release. .“As our homes become our offices and the line between work and out of office becomes blurred, workers receiving unwanted messages like non-work-related text messages or emails directly to their cellphone or at their home office computer may feel like there is no way to escape the harassment — even though they are not physically in the workplace.” .The WRC said 54% of Alberta workers have witnessed sexual harassment online, adding 11% have experienced it while working from home. .Krahn said it is critical for employees and employers to understand what constitutes sexual harassment in the remote workspace and take proactive steps to create healthy, safe virtual work environments. .The WRC said one-third of Alberta workers have experienced sexual harassment through unwanted online messages or texts. It said 42% have witnessed these kinds of sexual harassment. .Three-tenths said they have witnessed sexual harassment online or by phone related to work. This includes various communication channels such as email, instant messages, texts, and video conferencing..Krahn acknowledged the isolation of virtual work can “make workers more vulnerable to sexual harassment since it can occur in any online space at any time, even after work hours.”.Since the incidents occur online rather than in office environments, she said workers might not feel they can come forward to human resources or management. .The WRC found contributors (28%), management (28%), and executives (26%) have the relative same likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment through unwanted messages, indicating the problem can be widespread within an organization’s structure. .Echoing the poll’s findings, Statistics Canada said more Albertans were victims of indecent and harassing communications in the last year..There were 4,948 police-reported incidents of indecent or harassing communications in Alberta in 2022 — up about 7% since 2021. .To help Albertans speak up and seek support, WRC launched sexual harassment resource hub HereforHelp.ca to provide improved access to support and connections for those affected..The hub includes an assessment tool to guide people to immediate referrals and better access to relevant information, including free legal advice with referrals to counsel. .Krahn said HereforHelp.ca “brings together organizations from across the province to centralize critical services and information, including legal information, guidance on employment rights, counselling support, and assistance with reporting.” .“Our assessment tool helps Alberta workers to effectively identify workplace sexual harassment and guides them to the most relevant information, resources, and referrals that best fit their situation,” she said. .A study looking at harassment and violence in Canadian workplaces in 2022 found 71.4% of workers have experienced at least one form of misconduct in their workplace in the previous year. .Researchers from Western University, the University of Toronto, and the Canadian Labour Congress examined all types of workplaces across Canada through surveys and interviews. Forms of harassment included verbal, sexual, and online abuse and intimidating practices to sabotage work performance. .The people most likely to experience toxic work environments and sexual harassment were women, indigenous people, sexual minorities, and non-whites..Most harassment experienced included sexual conversations (61%), personal space violations or touching (60%), sexual teasing or jokes (56%), and unwanted looks or gestures (42%)..The WRC poll was conducted online from May 5 to 12 with 509 respondents from a panel who was screened. It has a margin of error of +/- four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
More than one-third of sexual harassment experienced by Alberta workers takes place online, according to a poll conducted by RA2 Research on behalf of the Workers’ Resource Centre (WRC). .“Examples of sexual harassment in the remote workspace may include inappropriate verbal comments, gestures, or digital communication of a sexual nature,” said WRC Executive Director Carolyn Krahn in a press release. .“As our homes become our offices and the line between work and out of office becomes blurred, workers receiving unwanted messages like non-work-related text messages or emails directly to their cellphone or at their home office computer may feel like there is no way to escape the harassment — even though they are not physically in the workplace.” .The WRC said 54% of Alberta workers have witnessed sexual harassment online, adding 11% have experienced it while working from home. .Krahn said it is critical for employees and employers to understand what constitutes sexual harassment in the remote workspace and take proactive steps to create healthy, safe virtual work environments. .The WRC said one-third of Alberta workers have experienced sexual harassment through unwanted online messages or texts. It said 42% have witnessed these kinds of sexual harassment. .Three-tenths said they have witnessed sexual harassment online or by phone related to work. This includes various communication channels such as email, instant messages, texts, and video conferencing..Krahn acknowledged the isolation of virtual work can “make workers more vulnerable to sexual harassment since it can occur in any online space at any time, even after work hours.”.Since the incidents occur online rather than in office environments, she said workers might not feel they can come forward to human resources or management. .The WRC found contributors (28%), management (28%), and executives (26%) have the relative same likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment through unwanted messages, indicating the problem can be widespread within an organization’s structure. .Echoing the poll’s findings, Statistics Canada said more Albertans were victims of indecent and harassing communications in the last year..There were 4,948 police-reported incidents of indecent or harassing communications in Alberta in 2022 — up about 7% since 2021. .To help Albertans speak up and seek support, WRC launched sexual harassment resource hub HereforHelp.ca to provide improved access to support and connections for those affected..The hub includes an assessment tool to guide people to immediate referrals and better access to relevant information, including free legal advice with referrals to counsel. .Krahn said HereforHelp.ca “brings together organizations from across the province to centralize critical services and information, including legal information, guidance on employment rights, counselling support, and assistance with reporting.” .“Our assessment tool helps Alberta workers to effectively identify workplace sexual harassment and guides them to the most relevant information, resources, and referrals that best fit their situation,” she said. .A study looking at harassment and violence in Canadian workplaces in 2022 found 71.4% of workers have experienced at least one form of misconduct in their workplace in the previous year. .Researchers from Western University, the University of Toronto, and the Canadian Labour Congress examined all types of workplaces across Canada through surveys and interviews. Forms of harassment included verbal, sexual, and online abuse and intimidating practices to sabotage work performance. .The people most likely to experience toxic work environments and sexual harassment were women, indigenous people, sexual minorities, and non-whites..Most harassment experienced included sexual conversations (61%), personal space violations or touching (60%), sexual teasing or jokes (56%), and unwanted looks or gestures (42%)..The WRC poll was conducted online from May 5 to 12 with 509 respondents from a panel who was screened. It has a margin of error of +/- four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
