Improving Workplace Response to Sexual Assault: Recommendations from Survivors

Sexual harassment and workplace sexual assault are prevalent in the United States, particularly among marginalized workers. There are numerous negative workplace and mental health impacts of sexual harassment and violence on workers, and as such, some may decide to report and/or disclose in the workplace in order to receive support. In general, workplaces do not respond positively to survivors, but survivors have not been directly asked how workplaces should improve response to harassment. The current study addresses this gap through a qualitative interview study of a community sample of sexual assault survivors (N = 23) who reported and/or disclosed their sexual assault to a supervisor in their workplace for the purpose of seeking help. Through reflexive thematic analysis, we found five main themes pertaining to survivors’ recommendations: changes to workplace policies, improved sexual harassment training, guaranteed workplace accommodations, proactive measures to prevent sexual harassment, and community care in the workplace. Implications for future workplace policy and broader social change regarding workplace equity are discussed.