Employers should have a sexual harassment policy

There is no doubt that sexual harassment is taking place in Faroese workplaces, according to Leivur Persson, the head of the Working Environment Service.

He says the number of reported sexual harassment cases in workplaces has risen dramatically since the #MeToo movement began in 2017.

 >> SEE ALSO New plan to help employers fight sexual harassment

According to the Working Environment Act, employers have a duty to provide good working conditions for their staff.

And now, for the first time, the Working Environment Service has added a provision about sexual harassment in the workplace in its annual report. The provision recommends all employers to implement standard procedures for reporting bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace.

 >> SEE ALSO Almost one in four has suffered sexual assault

A recent poll suggested that one in four women and one in ten men have been sexually harassed by a work colleague.

Two-thirds of these had experienced the sexual harassment in the workplace and 52 percent in party environments.

 >> SEE ALSO Few reports of mental injuries in the workplace

Issues like these must be reported to the management, but what if the management is part of the problem?

The existing system is working well, says Persson.

“We have reprimanded some employers in connection with sexual harassment, and I don’t think there is any reason to change the current system. It is, however, crucial to report such cases because that is the only way to understand the full extent of this problem.”

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

Translated by prosa.fo.

More Faroese News in English.