One in every 11 employees in Germany has been harassed in the past three years, according to a new study.
About 13% of women and 5% of men were harassed with inappropriate comments, jokes, references, contact or other behavior, according to the study released by the Federal Center for Discrimination in Berlin.
More than 50% of those harassed said that the perpetrators were third parties in the work system, such as clients or patients, followed by colleagues and managers.
Although most of the harassment was verbal, 30% of those who harassed said they had been touched or pushed against their will.
According to the study, the majority of those who suffered harassment experienced these practices repeatedly. She noted that the majority of incidents of harassment in the workplace came from men, most of whom were employed in health and social professions.
The authors said that harassment by clients or patients is seen in these sectors as a risk of the profession, or is minimized or ignored.
The poll was conducted by the Institute of Experimental Sociology at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, commissioned by the Federal Center for Combating Terrorism. The study involved 1,531 employees.