This post was originally published as a press release on 8 December 2021.

8 December 2021 – Many women who experience workplace sexual harassment in Singapore end up quitting their jobs, spending months or years out of work, going through extended periods of low productivity and facing other career disruptions. They also experience dips in incomes due to being unemployed or taking lower-paying jobs after harassment.

Those are some of the findings of a first-of-its-kind study by gender-equality organisation AWARE, titled “‘I Quit’: Career and Financial Effects of Workplace Sexual Harassment on Women in Singapore”. The qualitative report builds upon AWARE’s earlier quantitative research into the issue, including a survey that the organisation co-released with Ipsos in January 2021.

“I Quit” draws its findings from interviews conducted between 2019 and 2020 with 39 working women who experienced harassment across various industries in Singapore in the previous five years. Harassment ranged from verbal (most common) to physical and technology-facilitated, and took place at the office, outside the office (e.g. on business trips or at work drinks) and online. The majority of perpetrators were either respondents’ bosses or senior staff members in their organisations; others were colleagues or peers, clients, subordinates, strangers or students. Seven in ten respondents had been employed for less than one year at their companies when the harassment took place.

“While the psychological and emotional impacts of workplace sexual harassment are fairly well-known, its career and financial impacts have not previously been illuminated in Singapore,” said Ms Shailey Hingorani, head of AWARE’s Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory. “This research adds dimension to the troubling picture of workplace harassment, so we can better understand the full extent of its damage—what it really does to a person’s life.”

Beyond the long-term impacts mentioned above, the study found that the short-term career-related impacts of workplace sexual harassment were decreased work productivity (for 2.8 months on average), lower job satisfaction, negatively impacted collegial relationships, hostile work environments and reputational damage. Short-term financial impacts came in the form of increased expenditure (e.g. on healthcare or self-care) and lower income.

In accordance with previous data about under-reporting, more than half (22) of respondents did not file official reports about their harassment. Of the 17 respondents who did file official complaints, five experienced retaliation from their organisations and/or perpetrators, in the form of negative performance reviews, denial of bonuses and even termination of employment.

“Survivors of workplace sexual harassment leave their jobs to put a stop to the harassment itself, or because of subsequent mental health impacts, negative reporting experiences or retaliatory behaviours,” explained Ms Hingorani. “On the other hand, if they receive supportive first responses from colleagues, assistance from HR trained in sensitive grievance handling, and protective measures against retaliation, they may not need to resort to such a drastic step.”

Researchers identified organisational characteristics that facilitate repeated incidents of workplace sexual harassment, such as: male-dominated management and/or organisations; poor organisational climate; the absence of an HR department or policies targeted at harassment, and dependency on sexualised customer interactions. They also noted that the compounded effects of workplace sexual harassment include occupational segregation: As women leave behind hostile, harassment-heavy industries, those industries become increasingly male-dominated, fuelling a vicious cycle where harassment continues to flourish unchecked. Such segregation is known to worsen the gender pay gap.

To better combat workplace sexual harassment in Singapore, AWARE recommends that the government develop a national legislation to deal with workplace sexual harassment, and mandate that employers both create well-defined sexual harassment policies and implement gender-sensitive training in the workplace. The report also suggests measures to increase the procedural satisfaction of victim-survivors, and provide protection to both survivors and witnesses to reduce the possibility of retaliation.

“Our findings tell a startling and aggravating story of injustice,” said Ms Hingorani. “Victim-survivors of workplace sexual harassment are simply looking to earn a living and pursue their professional goals. Instead, through no fault of their own, and on top of emotional trauma, they are beset with a wide range of harms—some of which have repercussions for the rest of their lives. If that unfairness is not compelling enough, we hope that the economic costs associated with workplace harassment, such as turnover and reduced productivity, can encourage Singapore’s businesses and government to take greater action.”

Read the full “I Quit” report here.

ANNEX: Select respondent profiles

Melissa* was a new senior manager at an MNC when she was harassed by the CEO of the company. At the start, the perpetrator texted her on a daily basis, although she did not report directly to him, and made inappropriate comments to her about other female staff. Over time, this escalated to him physically harassing her at her work cubicle. Shortly after declining his advances again, Melissa was informed that she would be let go, although the reason for this was not made clear to her. While job-seeking, she found it difficult to explain her short stint at that organisation to potential employers.

Rita* worked for a few months as a part-time waitress at a restaurant where chefs made inappropriate comments about her. She did not report the incidents to anybody as the perpetrators were well-liked at the workplace and she did not think she would be believed. The harassment made her self-conscious, which caused her to be distracted and less personable both with colleagues and customers. Rita also took on fewer shifts to minimise interactions with the perpetrators. To end the harassment, she eventually left the job for a different part-time role.

Carrie* was an executive at an SME. Her boss would send her overly personal text messages and touch her inappropriately at work. After she rejected his advances, he retaliated against Carrie by unfairly criticising her work. The harassment persisted for nine months before she left her job and changed industries completely, despite wishing to remain in that job and industry.

*Name changed to protect their identities