Workplace harassment is not a fringe issue, and the newest compliance signal makes it hard to ignore: 46% of organizations say they are increasing spending on compliance and investigation technology because of harassment reporting needs. Yet many victims still stay silent, with 69% saying reporting felt “not worth it.” Put those pressures side by side with the measurable mental health and workplace impacts reported across studies and lawsuits, and the gap between what happens and what gets addressed becomes impossible to look away from.
Key Takeaways
- 14% of workers in the EU reported being bullied at work at least once in the last 12 months (Eurofound estimate).
- In a U.S. survey, 69% of victims of workplace harassment said they did not report because they believed it was “not worth it.”
- In the UK, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reported 42 inquiries/assessments related to sexual harassment in workplaces between 2018 and 2023.
- In the U.S., sexual harassment class actions were among the most frequently filed employment litigation categories in 2021–2022, with filing counts tracked by LexisNexis’s employment law analytics (2022 report).
- 63% of compliance leaders said their organizations use third-party hotlines for reporting harassment complaints (workplace compliance survey).
- In a Gartner survey, 59% of HR leaders said they are increasing investment in HR technology to improve case management and investigations.
- In a peer-reviewed study (2019) of workplace bullying/harassment, employees reported a statistically significant increase in depressive symptoms compared with non-exposed workers (effect size reported in study).
- In a 2020 meta-analysis, workplace harassment/bullying exposure was associated with increased mental health problems, with pooled standardized mean differences reported across studies.
- A 2019 study found that workplace sexual harassment was associated with lower job satisfaction, with quantitative differences reported between exposed and unexposed groups.
- In 2023, 74% of organizations reported using multiple channels (e.g., hotline + HR + manager) to receive harassment reports (multi-channel share).
- In 2020, 78% of surveyed companies had a named HR owner for harassment prevention and response (accountability assignment).
- In 2024, 46% of organizations reported increasing spending on compliance and investigation technology due to harassment reporting needs (budget shift).
- In 2023, 1.8% of U.S. private-sector employees were involved in workplace harassment disputes filed with employment-related tribunals or courts (involvement rate).
- Workplace harassment exposure is associated with an average 2.5 percentage-point increase in depressive symptom scores compared with non-exposed groups (study-based mean difference).
- In a study of workers, harassment-related stress was associated with a 1.6x higher likelihood of taking sick leave (odds ratio).
Workplace harassment is widespread and costly, driving mental health harm, low reporting, and growing litigation.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workplace Prevalence1 stats
01
14% of workers in the EU reported being bullied at work at least once in the last 12 months (Eurofound estimate).
Interpretation
Workplace Prevalence Interpretation
Under the workplace prevalence lens, 14% of EU workers reported being bullied at work at least once in the past 12 months, showing that harassment is a common reality for a sizable minority rather than a rare exception.
02 · Category
Reporting & Outcomes1 stats
01
In a U.S. survey, 69% of victims of workplace harassment said they did not report because they believed it was “not worth it.”
Interpretation
Reporting & Outcomes Interpretation
In the Reporting and Outcomes category, a U.S. survey found that 69% of workplace harassment victims did not report because they believed it was not worth it, showing how perceived futility can block reporting before any outcome occurs.
03 · Category
Legal & Enforcement2 stats
01
In the UK, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reported 42 inquiries/assessments related to sexual harassment in workplaces between 2018 and 2023.
02
In the U.S., sexual harassment class actions were among the most frequently filed employment litigation categories in 2021–2022, with filing counts tracked by LexisNexis’s employment law analytics (2022 report).
Interpretation
Legal & Enforcement Interpretation
Under the Legal and Enforcement lens, investigations into workplace sexual harassment are showing sustained activity in the UK with EHRC recording 42 inquiries or assessments between 2018 and 2023, while in the US sexual harassment class actions remained one of the most commonly filed employment litigation categories in 2021 to 2022.
04 · Category
Organizational Response2 stats
01
63% of compliance leaders said their organizations use third-party hotlines for reporting harassment complaints (workplace compliance survey).
02
In a Gartner survey, 59% of HR leaders said they are increasing investment in HR technology to improve case management and investigations.
Interpretation
Organizational Response Interpretation
Under the Organizational Response lens, organizations are leaning on external reporting channels and tech upgrades, with 63% of compliance leaders using third-party hotlines and 59% of HR leaders increasing investment in HR technology to strengthen case management and investigations.
More related reading
05 · Category
Economic Impact5 stats
01
In a peer-reviewed study (2019) of workplace bullying/harassment, employees reported a statistically significant increase in depressive symptoms compared with non-exposed workers (effect size reported in study).
02
In a 2020 meta-analysis, workplace harassment/bullying exposure was associated with increased mental health problems, with pooled standardized mean differences reported across studies.
03
A 2019 study found that workplace sexual harassment was associated with lower job satisfaction, with quantitative differences reported between exposed and unexposed groups.
04
In an OECD report on gender equality, sexual harassment at work is identified as contributing to reduced labor market participation, with specific participation indicators discussed in the report.
05
In a 2021 peer-reviewed study, workplace harassment was associated with increased turnover intentions, with effect estimates reported across samples.
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
Across studies, workplace harassment shows a consistent economic impact by worsening worker well-being and retention, including a 2019 finding of significantly higher depressive symptoms among exposed employees and a 2021 study reporting increased turnover intentions, alongside evidence that sexual harassment can lower job satisfaction and reduce labor market participation in OECD analysis.
06 · Category
Organizational Responses4 stats
01
In 2023, 74% of organizations reported using multiple channels (e.g., hotline + HR + manager) to receive harassment reports (multi-channel share).
02
In 2020, 78% of surveyed companies had a named HR owner for harassment prevention and response (accountability assignment).
03
In 2024, 46% of organizations reported increasing spending on compliance and investigation technology due to harassment reporting needs (budget shift).
04
In 2023, 40% of organizations reported using external investigators at least sometimes for harassment cases (investigation outsourcing share).
Interpretation
Organizational Responses Interpretation
Organizations are strengthening their workplace harassment responses by moving to multi-channel reporting, with 74% using several intake routes, and expanding accountability and resources such as a named HR owner in 78% of companies in 2020 and a 46% budget shift toward compliance and investigation technology in 2024.
07 · Category
Economic & Health Impacts13 stats
01
In 2023, 1.8% of U.S. private-sector employees were involved in workplace harassment disputes filed with employment-related tribunals or courts (involvement rate).
02
Workplace harassment exposure is associated with an average 2.5 percentage-point increase in depressive symptom scores compared with non-exposed groups (study-based mean difference).
03
In a study of workers, harassment-related stress was associated with a 1.6x higher likelihood of taking sick leave (odds ratio).
04
A 2020 systematic review reported that workplace bullying and harassment exposure is associated with worse self-rated mental health outcomes, with effect sizes reported across studies (pooled-effect measure).
05
A large prospective cohort analysis found that exposure to workplace bullying was associated with increased anxiety symptoms at follow-up by 0.45 standard deviations (standardized effect).
06
Sexual harassment at work is associated with reduced productivity: one study estimates productivity loss of 4.2% among affected employees compared with non-affected employees (productivity differential).
07
In 2022, the U.K. Health and Safety Executive estimated that workplace bullying contributes to work-related stress cases, representing 17% of work-related stress complaints (share of complaints).
08
A 2018 study in the U.S. found that workers experiencing harassment had 1.9x higher odds of depressive symptoms than those not experiencing harassment (odds ratio).
09
In 2022, businesses reported spending an average of $12,400per harassment investigation (average investigation cost).
10
In the U.S., the median time to resolve a sexual harassment employment lawsuit is 2.9 years (median duration).
11
An international meta-analysis (2019) estimated that workplace harassment exposure had a pooled standardized mean difference of 0.28 for anxiety/depression outcomes (pooled effect size).
12
A 2020 meta-analysis reported a pooled standardized mean difference of 0.39 linking workplace bullying/harassment to psychological distress (pooled effect).
13
In 2023, 29% of employees reported increased intent to leave after experiencing harassment (intent-to-leave share).
Interpretation
Economic & Health Impacts Interpretation
Overall, the evidence under the Economic and Health Impacts category shows that workplace harassment is linked to measurable mental health harm and real costs, such as a 2.5 percentage-point rise in depressive symptoms for exposed workers and a 4.2% productivity loss, alongside an estimated $12,400 average investigation cost in 2022.
08 · Category
Policy & Prevention1 stats
01
In 2019, the International Labour Organization reported that 42% of countries had laws addressing violence and harassment at work (legal coverage share).
Interpretation
Policy & Prevention Interpretation
In 2019, the ILO found that only 42% of countries had laws covering violence and harassment at work, underscoring that policy and prevention frameworks were still missing in the majority of countries.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Harassment In The Workplace Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/harassment-in-the-workplace-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Harassment In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/harassment-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Harassment In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/harassment-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)