Restaurant workers often the victim of sexual harassment

By Matthew Marks on October 10th, 2014 in Sexual Harassment

There is no question that sexual harassment occurs at a variety of workplace settings. A recent study shines light on one industry that is particularly bad for women. According to the study many women who work in restaurants face sexual harassment from a variety of sources.

It is not just managers and coworkers who subject the women to the behavior. Customers are also sometimes the perpetrators.

The sexual harassment experienced by restaurant workers—both women as well as men—takes many forms including:

• Comments.
• Groping.
• Explicit advances.
• Sexual jokes.

The study, which was conducted by the nonprofit Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) United, based its findings on the response of 688 individuals who either work or formerly worked at a restaurant. The individuals were from 39 different states.

Study results indicated that 66 percent of the women who responded to the survey had been sexually assaulted by individuals who managed them. Even more women—80 percent—indicated that they were sexually harassed by co-workers. Customers were the harassers of women workers 78 percent of the time. The numbers were only slightly better when it came to men being sexually harassed.

The line between joking and sexual harassment is not always bright. When however, comments or behaviors that make a worker feel uncomfortable are engaged in repeatedly, there is no excuse. Workers who are victims of this may decide to take legal action. For assistance in navigating this often complex system it is usually a good idea to seek the assistance of an employment lawyer.

Source: Time, “66% of Female Restaurant Workers Report Being Sexually Harassed by Managers,” Laura Stampler, Oct. 7, 2014