Sexual harassment as perceived and experienced by male and female restaurant employees

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge about sexual harassment as perceived and experienced by male and female restaurant employees. The research was carried out by using an online survey and five interviews. The 137 participants of the survey and the five interviewees are all students at a university of applied sciences in the Netherlands who work or have worked in the restaurant industry. The results indicate that females label more incidents as sexual harassment than males; that females experienced more incidents of sexual harassment from guests than males did; and that sexual harassment negatively affects both females’ and males’ motivation and well-being. Based on the incidence and impact of sexual harassment, we recommend raising awareness and educating people from an early age regarding sexual harassment and to insist that every restaurant has a proper policy and training programme to prevent and penalise sexual harassment.