It is not uncommon to hear employees say things like this, “We can’t even give someone a compliment around here without being accused of sexual harassment.” Or, “I was just joking, she’s way too sensitive. There’s no way that was harassment.” No doubt you have several other phrases you could add to the list.But it’s not that hard to understand what is and what is not considered sexual harassment when you look at in terms of a behavior being unwelcome and unwanted.

According to a recent study, when asked what happens to harassers, 70% of respondents stated they believed harassers face no consequences. Imagine what this belief does to the willingness and probability of a victim reporting an incident of harassment. It doesn’t matter if 100% of harassers did face consequences, perception is often seen as reality and in this case, the reality that’s being seen is likely one of the reasons harassment often goes unreported and unchecked.What do you think the perception is at your organization? What’s the reality? Have you asked?

Sexual harassment, and any kind of harassment in the workplace, can have devastating and profound emotional, physical, and financial effects on the victim and the workplace as a whole.