When I surveyed more than 800 women about gender-based harassment in public places for my forthcoming book, I was shocked to learn that nearly one in 10 women had changed jobs at least once because of harassers along their commutes or near their worksites.
This figure inspired me to write an article about commuter harassment for Forbes.com. The article also was syndicated by ABC News. Here is an excerpt:
Sexual harassment in the workplace costs businesses a billion dollars annually, according to Mary L. Boland, an attorney and author of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, due to lost employee productivity, absenteeism, turnover, and litigation. It’s the reason employers have policies against sexual harassment and offer sexual harassment training.
Although much attention is paid to sexual harassment on the job, what about the sexual harassment in public places that employees experience on their way to and from work? … Commuter harassment [also] negatively impacts an employee’s ability to perform her job and can contribute to absenteeism and turnover.
Read the full story, including suggestions for what employers can do about commuter harassment.
Have harassers along your commute ever affected your workday or employment choices? Do you think employers should do something about it?
