More and more customer service workers experience sexual harassment at work – “I’ve been followed all the way home” – 2024-02-15 04:56:28

The people in the pictures are models and do not work for the S group. Outi Törmälä

“I am sexualized and my appearance is constantly commented on. The most distressing experience is the stalking of my social media profile and rude comments on the pictures of my workplace’s pages, where I appeared.”

“I’ve been followed all the way home.”

“The most distressing thing has always been the fact that everything should be tolerated in customer service work, and if you demand proper behavior, the improper customer appeals to his position, and as a salesperson you have no power to teach the customer.”

The excerpts are from the answers to Yhteishyvä’s online survey. In the survey, employees working in customer service roles in the S group were asked about their experiences of harassment. 531 employees participated in it.

The S-group’s statistics show that reports of sexual harassment have increased. In 2023, 150 reports of sexual harassment were recorded in S group’s reporting system Falcony. The number of reports of threats, violence and disturbances has increased significantly in recent years.

The discussion related to sexual harassment started with the US-based Me too movement in 2017 and spread around the world. Still, the harassment has not disappeared anywhere.

According to a 2020 survey by the service industry trade union PAM, 57 percent of all customer service workers have experienced sexual harassment in the past year. Up to 75 percent of the waiters have been sexually harassed during the year.

Both numbers have increased from the results of the previous study, conducted in 2015.

How can the harassment experienced by sellers and waiters be stopped?

Social psychologist, researcher of harassment and sexual violence The Russian fairy talepsychology Nina Lyytinen and head of SOK Risk Management Janne Ahtoniemi discussed the topic Yhteishyvä Live. The live was hosted by SOK’s producer Heta-Leena Sierilä.

Watch the whole Yhteishyvä Live: Ninette, 21, no longer dares to smile at work – how can the harassment experienced by sellers be stopped?

In the broadcast, the panelists watched excerpts from an interview with 21-year-old Ninete, in which she talked about the sexual harassment she experienced at her workplace in customer service work. Among other things, she has had to change her behavior and dress due to harassment.

Changing one’s own behavior is burdensome for experts, and no one should have to act like that at work.

– The responsibility lies with those who use inappropriate language and break boundaries. They have to change their behavior, says Lyytinen.

According to Ahtoniemi, the corona period in particular caused a spike in harassment. Nowadays, it’s easy to hide behind a nickname on social media to make inappropriate comments, and face-to-face harassment is also common.

– Society’s malaise is strongly visible in the customer interface, and harassment is a reflection of that, says Ahtoniemi.

According to the discussants, normative understandings of women’s and men’s roles in society still prevail in Finland, but at the same time, awareness of disruptive behavior and the diversity of the sexes is growing.

– Even though the phenomenon is gendered, it does not remove the fact that harassment can only be directed at someone. Belonging to minorities increases the risk of harassment, Venäläinen says.

Young people in particular are active drivers of change – they are aware of their own limits and rights. The experience of harassment is subjective and should not be underestimated.

– If someone finds the comment annoying and disturbing, that must be respected, says Lyytinen.

Zero tolerance

The S group has zero tolerance for sexual harassment. The experts unanimously emphasize that if you see harassment, you should intervene.

– If I don’t intervene, it’s a tacit approval, Ahtoniemi says.

The more we talk about it, the easier it is to deal with the problem. The harassment situation can also be dealt with after it has happened, and the matter can be discussed with the customer if this happens again.

– Harassment can be associated with feelings of shame. Example stories and the courage to tell about experiences break shame, says Lyytinen.

Supervisors now communicate to employees more emphatically than before that bad customer behavior is not acceptable. The sales team also trains customer service staff to deal with unpleasant situations.

The S group will continue its anti-harassment work in the future. Ahtoniemi reminds that the more aware customer service agents are of their rights, the more often they report problem situations.

The S group is also involved in the “Let’s be human” campaign of the Finnish Trade Union and PAM. Its purpose is to wake up customers to think about their own behavior.

Read more about the topic and watch the entire Yhteishyvä Live!