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Benefits February 28, 2007
Sexual Ridicule Ranks as Most Common in the Workplace
February 28, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Sexual remarks
were the most common type of ridicule in the workplace,
followed by ethnic and racial slurs and age-based remarks,
according to a recent survey by consultant Novations
Group.
Reported by Adrien Martin
According to a press release , the survey of 610 Americans found that 34% of employees said they overheard improper sexual remarks, 30% said they overheard ethnic slurs, 26% said they overheard racial slurs and 21% heard ridicule about sexual orientation.
Men were twice as likely as women to hear any kind of workplace ridicule, with the widest gap existing for sexual comments (44% vs. 22%).
There was also no significant difference between white and black employees in regard to the ridicule they overheard in the workplace, except sexual ridicule in which 36% of whites reported hearing sexual comments compared to 25% of blacks.
Also, employees with more education or higher income were generally less likely to hear workplace ridicule.