Most workplaces have reporting processes for harassment and other abusive behaviour. Whether the complaint gets addressed, however, may depend on who is doing the reporting. 
 
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill) and University of Pennsylvania (PENN) published a study in 2025 questioning a long-held belief that “Reporting is thought to be effective because it is the clearest path to facilitate corrective action against transgressors (or attempts to remedy abusive behaviour).” 
 
More specifically, they sought to uncover if gender played a role in whether corrective action is taken when workplace abuse is reported. The findings of this study, entitled “Reject or Protect? Corrective Action in Response to Women’s vs. Men’s Reports of Workplace Abuse”, suggests it does and that simply reporting abuse is not enough.  
 
REGISTER for WHSC training addressing abuse including harassment and violence
 
Writing about this study in Forbes Magazine, lead researcher and UNC Chapel Hill associate professor, Timothy Kundro, explained how they analyzed thousands of workplace abuse reports made by U.S. government employees and conducted several control experiments to understand how reports of abuse are evaluated. “We found that identical reports were more likely to prompt corrective action when made by men than by women. Importantly, this discrepancy only emerged when reports were not accompanied by clear supporting evidence—a reality for most reports of abuse in organizations.” 

Prevalence of abuse 

A lack of corroborating evidence doesn’t mean the abuse didn’t occur. And the lived experiences of workers and research evidence suggest it is occurring at alarming rates with abuse taking many forms ranging from verbal or written threats and bullying to sexual harassment and actions to sabotage work performance. 
 
This study cited a 2021 survey of American workers finding 44 per cent reported experiencing workplace abuse. 
 
Closer to home, a 2022 study involving researchers from Western University, University of Toronto and the Canadian Labour Congress found more more than 70 per cent of workers experienced at least one form of harassment and abuse in their workplace in the two years prior to taking the survey. 
 
Statistics Canada published data in 2024 showing three in 10 women and two in 10 men reported experiencing harassment or sexual assault at work in the 12 months prior to being surveyed. 
 
More recently, a 2025 survey of Ontario tradeswomen found 52 per cent reported experiencing harassment and over half were dissatisfied with how their complaints were handled. 

Strategies to address gender bias and abuse

The Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT) undertook this 2025 survey as part of a broader research initiative to explore how to better support women to enter and stay in the construction trades. Among many recommendations relating to addressing abuse, they cited the need to:

1. Support strong and consistent enforcement by employers of zero-tolerance policies for harassment and discrimination. 
2. Create multiple independent reporting pathways for harassment and discrimination, including neutral workplace advocates, that encourages all individuals to voice concerns without fear of repercussion. 
3. Require more robust anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, including government-mandated training as part of apprenticeship curriculum and in training provided by unions and employers.

These echoed some of the recommendations UNC Chapel Hill and PENN researchers offered to improve handling of abuse reports including:

1. Recognizing gender bias.
2. Redesigning the evaluation process so those who receive the report (often managers) pass them on to well-trained evaluators who follow clear, formal guidelines. 
3. Offering safe, flexible reporting paths beyond just reporting abuse to a manager. 
4. Standardizing and anonymizing the report so it can be judged on its merits and not gender. 
5. Finding ways to ensure corroboration is present when reports are made. 
6. Committing to a timely, formalized follow-up.

According to lead researcher Kundro, “A fair process doesn’t promise that every claim will be substantiated, rather, only that every claim will be treated seriously.”

Without a fair and just process, and ultimately actions to end abuse at work, those affected will continue to suffer.

Costs of abuse

Left unchecked, abuse facilitates negative impacts for those who experience it firsthand, those who witness it, and still others who must work in poisoned environments. This includes physical, social and psychological trauma impacting interpersonal relationships and causing anxiety, depression, burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even suicide. It can also lead to presenteeism, absenteeism, turnover and negative work performance.   

Legal obligations for employers

Under occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation, employers are legally obligated to develop and maintain workplace violence and harassment policies and programs aimed at taking reasonable steps to protect workers from abuse. When it comes to violence, employers must proactively implement risk assessments and measures to control related factors. For workplace harassment the process they must have in place is a complaints-driven, reporting and investigating process. This process must be developed in consultation with the joint health and safety committee (JHSC) or a health and safety representative, if any. 
 
Ontario’s human rights law, goes further though, stipulating that every person has a right to “equal treatment” and “freedom from harassment.” Referring to case law, they write when determining whether an organization met their duty to properly respond to a complaint they consider: 

• “how quickly the organization responded to the complaint
• how seriously the complaint was treated
• the resources made available to deal with the complaint
• if the organization provided a healthy environment for the person who complained
• how well the person who complained was told about the action taken."

Regardless, under health and safety law, employers must provide all workers with information and instruction on the content of these policies and programs. This same law also requires measures to address domestic violence as a potential source of workplace violence.
 
Federally regulated employers also have significant duties to address workplace harassment and violence prevention, including a specific obligation to provide “training” to workers and consult the JHSC on what this training looks like.

WHSC training for compliance and more

Need help with compliance? Check out our workplace violence and harassment resources. 
 
Next? Register for our Workplace Violence and Harassment training available for delivery in person or in an online virtual classroom. This course is designed to help workplaces meet the legal requirements and ways to take corrective action to end abuse. This same course is scheduled in virtual French classrooms.  Our Federal Committees and Representatives course also addresses workplace violence and harassment duties and is available in scheduled virtual classrooms as well. 

Don’t see a date that works for you, wish to discuss onsite violence and harassment training or just a have a question, connect with a training services representative in your area.
 
Related resources
Employer obligations in Ontario and other WHSC workplace harassment and violence resources
Employer obligations in the federal jurisdiction
Reject or Protect? Corrective Action in Response to Women’s vs. Men’s Reports of Workplace Abuse
Advancing Recruitment and Retention of Women in the Building Trades Results from the 2025 OBCT Tradeswomen Survey November 2025
Preventing workplace sexual harassment—study finds TRAINING WORKS
Harassment at work rising, marginalized groups suffering most
Workplace violence, harassment widespread but unaddressed, report  

Could your workplace benefit from discounted WHSC ergonomics training in support of International RSI Awareness Day, held annually on the last day of February? Register now at the discounted rate of $40/participant, saving up to $80 on courses booked by February 28, 2026.

Need training in French?
We also offer Ontario’s largest French catalogue of instructor-led training. For more information, contact WHSC Training Services Representative Christopher Gervais at cgervais@whsc.on.ca or 613.407.2187.

Need more information? 
Contact a WHSC Training Services Representative in your area.
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