Harassment is the number one issue alleged in federal agency employment discrimination complaints. Image: Lightspring/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA new GAO report on training on preventing sexual harassment in the federal workplace says that such harassment has been a persistent problem for years, and also one that is underreported.
It noted an EEOC report from 2023 stating that harassment remains a concern in the federal sector, and that it has been the number one issue alleged in federal agency employment discrimination complaints since at least fiscal year 2011.
It also noted a series of MSPB reports based on surveys it conducted, showing that “sexual harassment persists and is significantly underreported.” In a 2021 survey, nearly 13 percent of employees reported that they had experience sexual harassment in the prior two years, ranging across agencies from 9 to 28 percent among women.
The MSPB further reported that “employees who either experience or observe sexual harassment witness its negative impact on productivity and work satisfaction. These employees may use annual leave or sick leave either to avoid their harasser or to address illness resulting from the stress of being harassed. Ultimately, these employees may choose to leave or may be involuntarily reassigned or relocated to separate them from their harasser and prevent retaliation,” it said.
“Similarly, a 2016 EEOC select task force co-chairs’ report found that employees who experience workplace harassment experience mental, physical, and economic harm, and that all workers are affected. The report also stated that the true cost of workplace harassment includes decreased productivity, increased turnover, and reputational harm,” it said.
GAO pointed out that it has issued some two dozen reports on sexual harassment and assault since 2011, some of them focused on the uniformed military but most involving federal employees as well, or exclusively.
“Safety from sexual harassment and other harmful behaviors in the workplace is key to helping ensure the effectiveness, retention, and morale of the federal workforce, according to federal government research,” it said.
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