Imagine waking up every morning and preparing for work, not with excitement about the day’s responsibilities, but with anxiety about who you might meet at the office.

Perhaps it is a supervisor who repeatedly comments on your body. Perhaps it is a colleague who sends you inappropriate messages after working hours. Or perhaps it is someone who has made it clear that your career could benefit if you were willing to give them something more than your professional services.

You have come to work to earn a living, develop your skills and build a career. Yet, you are forced to think about how to avoid unwanted attention.

This is the uncomfortable reality of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Sexual harassment is not simply about physical touching or sexual advances. It can include unwanted sexual comments, jokes, gestures, messages, requests for sexual favours, inappropriate conversations, displaying sexually explicit material, persistent invitations for dates, or other unwanted sexual behaviour.

The important word is unwanted.

A workplace should be built around professionalism and mutual respect. When sexual behaviour is imposed on someone who does not welcome it, it crosses a boundary.

And yet, our society sometimes treats such behaviour as normal.

“It was only a joke”

How many inappropriate comments are dismissed because they were supposedly jokes?

How many women are told to laugh when a colleague makes sexual comments about their bodies?

How many employees are expected to tolerate persistent advances because refusing to do so might make them appear rude or difficult?

These questions matter because the normalisation of inappropriate behaviour is one of the reasons sexual harassment continues.

A person cannot simply claim that something was “a joke” after making another person uncomfortable and expect the issue to disappear.

Workplaces are professional environments. Employees should not have to tolerate sexual jokes, suggestive comments or unwanted advances as part of their working conditions.

What one person considers harmless may be deeply uncomfortable or humiliating to another.

When power becomes a weapon

Sexual harassment becomes particularly dangerous when there is a power imbalance.

Consider an employee whose supervisor controls their promotion, salary, contract renewal or recommendation for another job.

If that supervisor makes unwanted sexual advances, how easy is it for the employee to say no?

This is where sexual harassment becomes more than inappropriate behaviour. It can become an abuse of power.

A person in authority may use their position to pressure an employee into accepting unwanted sexual attention. In some situations, an employee may be made to believe that refusing sexual advances will affect their career.

For workers on temporary contracts, interns, young graduates and employees who depend heavily on their salaries, the fear of losing an opportunity can be particularly strong.

This is why telling victims to “just speak up” is not enough.

People will speak when they believe that the system will protect them.

Silence does not mean consent

Perhaps one of the most damaging assumptions about sexual harassment is that if a person does not immediately object, they must have accepted the behaviour.

That is not necessarily true.

A victim may remain silent because they are shocked, frightened, embarrassed or unsure about what to do.

They may fear retaliation.

They may worry that colleagues will gossip about them.

They may fear that their employer will not believe them.

They may even worry that reporting the incident will damage their career more than the harassment itself.

Imagine being a young employee whose supervisor is responsible for evaluating your performance. If that supervisor makes an unwanted sexual advance, rejecting them may feel like a professional risk.

Silence in such circumstances should not automatically be interpreted as consent.

The problem of victim-blaming

Another issue that deserves serious attention is victim-blaming.

When sexual harassment occurs, people sometimes ask questions such as:

What was she wearing?

Why was she alone with him?

Why did she continue talking to him?

Why didn’t she report it immediately?

These questions can shift attention away from the behaviour of the alleged harasser and place the burden on the victim.

A professional workplace should not operate on the assumption that someone’s clothing, friendliness or personality gives another person permission to cross their boundaries.

Responsibility for inappropriate behaviour belongs to the person who chooses to engage in it.

This does not mean that every accusation should automatically be treated as proven. Complaints should be investigated fairly, confidentially and according to proper procedures.

But fairness should not become an excuse for ignoring victims.

Sexual harassment can affect careers

The consequences of workplace sexual harassment can extend far beyond the moment when the incident occurs.

A worker who experiences repeated harassment may become anxious, distracted or uncomfortable at work.

They may avoid particular colleagues, offices, meetings or work-related events.

Some victims may lose confidence in their abilities. Others may withdraw from professional relationships because they fear being misunderstood.

In severe cases, an employee may decide to leave their job altogether.

This is particularly troubling because the person who leaves may not be the person who caused the problem.

A talented employee may abandon an organisation because another person made the workplace unbearable.

That is not only unfair to the victim; it is also bad for the organisation.

It is not only a women’s issue

Sexual harassment is often discussed primarily in relation to women, and women do experience sexual harassment at significant levels.

However, men can also experience sexual harassment.

Anyone can be a victim regardless of gender, age, position or profession.

Recognising this does not reduce the seriousness of harassment against women. Rather, it reminds us that workplace safety and dignity should apply to everyone.

At the same time, we should recognise that unequal power relations and social expectations can make some groups particularly vulnerable to harassment.

Young workers, interns, temporary employees and people in financially vulnerable positions may feel that they have less power to challenge inappropriate behaviour.

The digital workplace has changed the problem

Sexual harassment is no longer restricted to the physical office.

Technology has created new spaces where harassment can occur.

An employee may receive inappropriate WhatsApp messages from a colleague, sexually suggestive photographs, unwanted video calls, offensive comments on social media or repeated messages outside working hours.

Because digital communication can happen at any time, the boundary between work and personal life can become blurred.

An employee should not have to fear opening their phone because a colleague or supervisor is using workplace relationships as an opportunity for unwanted sexual communication.

The fact that harassment happens through a phone rather than inside an office does not make it less harmful.

The Ghanaian workplace must take the issue seriously

In Ghana, the issue of workplace sexual harassment must be understood within the broader framework of workers’ rights, equality and protection from discrimination.

The 1992 Constitution of Ghana protects fundamental human rights and freedoms and establishes principles of equality and non-discrimination.

The Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) provides a legal framework governing employment relationships and the rights and responsibilities of employers and workers.

Institutions such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) also have important roles in promoting and protecting human rights and addressing complaints involving discrimination and rights violations.

These legal and institutional protections are important, but laws alone cannot solve the problem.

A workplace may have a policy against sexual harassment, but if employees do not know about it, if complaints are ignored or if powerful individuals are protected, the policy becomes little more than words on paper.

Employers have a responsibility

Employers must move beyond simply telling workers that sexual harassment is prohibited.

There should be clear workplace policies explaining what constitutes harassment and how employees can report it.

Reporting channels should be accessible and, where appropriate, confidential.

Employees should know who to approach when a complaint arises.

Managers and supervisors should also receive training on how to respond to complaints.

Most importantly, organisations must establish a culture in which no employee is considered too important to be held accountable.

A senior manager should not receive different treatment simply because of their position.

If an organisation protects an influential employee while ignoring a victim, it sends a dangerous message to everyone else: power matters more than dignity.

Prevention must begin before a complaint

One mistake organisations make is waiting until harassment occurs before taking action.

Prevention should begin with education.

Employees should be taught about professional boundaries, consent, respectful communication and the consequences of inappropriate behaviour.

New employees and interns should know their rights from the beginning of their employment.

Workplace leaders should also communicate clearly that sexual harassment will not be tolerated.

This can help create an environment where inappropriate behaviour is challenged early rather than becoming a pattern.

Colleagues also have a role to play.

If someone witnesses inappropriate behaviour, remaining silent can allow the behaviour to continue. Supporting a colleague, documenting concerns appropriately and directing victims to proper reporting channels can make a difference.

But what about false accusations?

Whenever sexual harassment is discussed, some people raise concerns about false allegations.

This is a legitimate reason to insist on fair investigations, but it should not be used to silence genuine victims.

The solution is not to automatically believe or disbelieve either side.

The solution is to establish proper procedures for receiving complaints, gathering evidence, protecting the parties involved and reaching decisions fairly.

A strong system should protect victims while also respecting due process.

That is what a responsible workplace should provide.

We need to change the culture

Ultimately, sexual harassment is not only a legal issue. It is also a cultural issue.

If society continues to excuse inappropriate behaviour as “men being men,” “just flirting” or “harmless jokes,” then laws and workplace policies will struggle to change attitudes.

We must begin teaching respect for boundaries in our homes, schools, universities and workplaces.

Young people entering the workforce should understand that professionalism is not only about dressing appropriately, meeting deadlines and performing tasks.

It is also about respecting the dignity and boundaries of colleagues.

Likewise, organisations must understand that creating a safe workplace is not simply an administrative responsibility. It is a responsibility to the people who make the organisation function.

Respect should not be the price of employment

No one should have to choose between protecting their dignity and keeping their job.

No employee should feel that refusing an unwanted sexual advance could cost them a promotion.

No intern should believe that tolerating inappropriate behaviour is the price of gaining professional experience.

And no organisation should wait for a scandal before taking workplace harassment seriously.

A workplace should be a place where people are judged by their competence, commitment and performance—not by their willingness to tolerate unwanted sexual attention.

Sexual harassment is not a compliment.

It is not workplace entertainment.

It is not simply a misunderstanding when someone’s boundaries have been repeatedly ignored.

It is a serious issue that can affect dignity, careers, mental wellbeing, workplace relationships and organisational productivity.

If we genuinely want workplaces where people can succeed, then we must create environments where professionalism includes respect for personal boundaries.

The question is no longer whether sexual harassment can happen in our workplaces.

The real question is whether we are willing to stop normalising it.

Because no job should require a person to surrender their dignity in order to keep their livelihood.