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Snapshot: What LA city workers say about sexual harassment in the workplace
City Hall in Downtown Los Angeles on August 17, 2017.
(
Daryl Barker/KPCC
)
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Snapshot: What LA city workers say about sexual harassment in the workplace
The statement was: I have been sexually harassed in the workplace.
Nearly 18% of Los Angeles city workers answered "yes."
That's according to a new survey of Los Angeles city workers. And 16% said they had witnessed sexual harassment in the workplace.
The results of the survey, available in its entirety below, were finalized late last week. In all, more than 4,200 people responded.
In February, KPCC reported that the city has paid out $8 million in sexual harassment claims and judgments since July 1, 2011. After the #MeToo movement gained traction last year, city workers reported nearly as many incident in a couple of months as were submitted in a previous five-year period.
The rise in reports followed the introduction in December of a new protocol for reporting harassment. In the two months that followed, 26 reports of harassment were made to the city's personnel department, compared to 35 reports of harassment in a five-year stretch between 2013 and 2017.
This new survey -- in addition to asking about personal experiences with harassment -- sought to measure how aware workers are of the city's anti-harassment policy and reporting options.
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While about 85% of respondents said they were "aware of the city's sexual harassment complaint procedure," when it came to the details there were gaps.
The majority of respondents -- 71% said they did not know who their department's sexual harassment counselor was.
A majority also said they were unsure or did not know about where to find the harassment procedure online.
Read the full report:
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