Why Workers Don’t Report Sexual Harassment

In episode 113, we sit down with occupational health researcher Dr. Annabelle Neall, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health and Wellbeing and Director of the Flinders Workplace Wellbeing Lab in Australia, to explore a critical and often misunderstood question: Why do so few workers report sexual harassment, even when it’s widespread and well‑recognized?

Drawing on surveys of Australian workers and in‑depth interviews with victims, witnesses, and subject‑matter experts, Dr. Neall’s research uncovers the three internal hurdles people navigate before deciding whether to report:

• Does this “count” as sexual harassment?

• Is it worth the personal and professional risk?

• Will reporting actually change anything?

We discuss how formal reporting systems often unintentionally discourage victims, how fear of retaliation shapes silence, and why many workers lose trust in HR‑driven processes. This conversation offers a rare, deeply human look at the barriers workers face and how we can build safer, more supportive workplaces.

You can find Dr. Neall here: https://www.flindersworkplacewellbeinglab.com/team

You can find the paper we discuss here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02678373.2025.2607500