This op-ed was originally published in the Business Times on December 17 2021.

MELISSA* (name changed to protect her identity) had just started work as a senior manager at a multinational corporation (MNC) when she began to be harassed by the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company. The CEO started texting her on a daily basis, which Melissa found odd, because she did not report to him directly. These texts would sometimes include inappropriate comments about other female staff. She chose to ignore these texts and focus on her work, wanting to make a good impression. Over time, however, the daily texting escalated to physical harassment at her cubicle.

After continuing to decline the CEO’s advances, Melissa was informed that she would be let go. Although she was never clearly provided a work-related reason for her dismissal, she suspects her experience of harassment – something she never asked for, and coped with as best she could – had something to do with it.

Melissa’s experience is similar to that of many women who have experienced work place sexual harassment in the past 5 years. A new qualitative study by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) – “I Quit”: Career and Financial Effects of Workplace Sexual Harassment on Women in Singapore, based on in-depth interviews with 39 victims of workplace sexual harassment – shines for the first time a spotlight on both the short- and long-term career and financial impacts of such harassment. The respondents were drawn from different industries, worked in MNCs, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and as self-employed workers. They also represented a wide range of work experience, from the extremely accomplished to those who were just starting out in their careers.

Decreases work productivity

Out of 39 respondents to “I Quit”, 34 reported decreased work productivity: After experiencing sexual harassment, they were unable to perform work tasks as efficiently as before. Their ability to perform at work was hampered by various needs: to protect themselves from further harassment, to find support for emotional and psychological trauma, and in some cases, to show up to work despite safety and health concerns because they couldn’t afford not to.

Some survivors of sexual harassment use leave as part of their coping strategies. They may try to protect themselves from further harassment by taking leave and thus avoiding their harassers. They also take leave to cope with the emotional and psychological trauma of sexual harassment, although this can lead to them lagging behind on deadlines, missing import ant meetings, and struggling with the large piles of work that accumulate during their absences.

Other survivors show up to work be cause they cannot afford to take time off. This “presenteeism” – or, the act of coming to work despite illness, injury or anxiety – is particularly pronounced for those in vulnerable financial situations.

Returning to work can put them in close proximity to their harassers, which is unsurprisingly detrimental to their well being. The resultant feelings of stress and anxiety can then implicate their ability to concentrate at work, diminishing their productivity, and consequently their job satisfaction.

Research respondents reported experiencing a few other short-term impacts too: Thirty respondents found that their relationships with colleagues had deteriorated, either because the colleagues did not believe the victims had experienced sexual harassment, or because they closed ranks around the harassers, who may have been more senior or more popular at the office.

Pushes victims out of jobs

When ignored, the short-term effects of workplace sexual harassment can push victims to leave their jobs and/or industries, either through their own volition or be cause they are fired. This is borne out by both the qualitative research in “I Quit”, and also a national survey of 1,000 respondents conducted earlier this year by Aware and market research company Ipsos. Of the survey respondents who did not report their experiences of workplace sexual harassment, 16 per cent of women and 9 per cent of men quit their jobs. Quitting was not a spur-of-the-moment decision for respondents, even when the decision to quit was made fairly soon after experiencing sexual harassment. For some, harassment was the main reason they resigned; for others it was a combination of not only harassment, but also negative reporting experiences and/or sub sequent retaliation that precipitated their decisions to quit. Regardless of the reason, all respondents reported being riddled with stress and trauma while deciding how best to protect themselves from harassment and continuing with their jobs and careers.

We frequently – and erroneously – presume that victims, in removing themselves from the site of harassment, put an end to the harassment and the attendant emotional and psychological trauma. This, we imagine, allows them space to refocus on their jobs and careers. However, the experience of workplace sexual harassment and the manner in which victims are treated in its aftermath actually have knock-on effects on their subsequent career-related decision-making processes.

Forces a change in career paths

In deciding their career trajectories, 1 in 4 of our respondents decided to change industries after workplace sexual harassment. Many of them believed that they were no longer “cut out” for a certain field or type of job, opting instead to take up lower-paying jobs that they believed did not carry the same risk of abuse – for example, female-dominated jobs such as childcare. Others were forced to change industries because they did not want to risk running into their harassers, or because their harassers had retaliated against them by undermining their professional reputation in their sectors, forcing them to look for employment elsewhere.

Starting in a new industry, though, is not exactly for the faint of heart. For one, respondents found themselves starting at entry-level, and thus lower-paying, positions. And this loss of seniority and standing – and associated pay and promotions – is particularly troublesome for women’s economic prospects, because it may negatively impact their earnings and promotion opportunities later in their careers.

There is also the pesky problem of having to explain short stints and/or long breaks in a resume because of workplace sexual harassment. Some of our respondents were hesitant to disclose previous experiences of sexual harassment to subsequent employers, fearing that they would be blamed for having somehow “invited” the harassment upon themselves, or perceived as overly sensitive – a common refrain of those who prefer to dismiss sexual harassment as “harmless fun”.

Early intervention in the form of work place trainings on sexual harassment, sensitive handling of harassment reports, and protection from retaliation are all steps that can minimise the career and financial impacts of workplace sexual harassment. Unfortunately, many companies continue to labour under the misconception that workplace sexual harassment is merely an interpersonal problem, to be worked out between colleagues.

The government should introduce legislation that clarifies the obligations employers have to provide a safe working environment. No one should have to put up with harassment in order to earn a living.

Shailey Hingorani, Head of Research and Advocacy, AWARE