38% of U.S. workers witness workplace harassment — Traliant survey

CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — A 2026 report reveals that while most employees feel their employers prioritize preventing workplace harassment, significant exposure and reporting barriers persist. 

The survey of 2,193 United States workers, conducted by Researchscape for compliance firm Traliant, finds 38% have witnessed harassment in the past five years, with younger workers and customer-facing industries disproportionately affected.

Harassment risk higher for Gen Z and customer-facing roles

According to the State of Workplace Harassment Report 2026, harmful behavior is a daily phenomenon that people notice and experience. 

The statistics indicate that the most susceptible industry to harassment is the customer-facing sector: 50% of the respondents reported observing such cases, and 29% had experienced it in hotels, restaurants, and bars. 

Additionally, it is characterized by generational and gender distances. According to Gen Z workers, harassment has been observed by 46% and experienced by 33% of them, as opposed to only 12% of Baby Boomers and 16% of Gen X. 

Men had higher rates of witnessing harassment (41%) compared to women (36%), but women tend to view harassment as a problem that is increasingly becoming a problem. 

The harassments have also expanded to include identity-based harassment like racial or ethnic (32%) and gender-based (29%) harassment more often than sexual harassment (25%).

The report notes, “This finding displays the need for prevention efforts that address a broader range of behaviors and identities.”

Retaliation fears silence reporting

One of the report’s findings is that organizational safety and reporting systems are highly affected by the threat of retaliation. 

Among employees who feel unprotected and who report harassment by fellow employees, 71% cite fear of retaliation as the primary reason. Such fear will lead to underreporting, leaving organizations unable to solve problems early and resulting in misconduct going unsolved. 

Employee behavior is directly affected by the accessibility and apparent safety of reporting channels. Even though 51% of workers would report harassment in any case, a third (33%) would only do so when assured of anonymity. This brings out a serious trust gap. 

HR (59%), managers (53%), and anonymous reporting (40%) were the most popular channels for reporting, indicating that no channel suits all employees. 

Reports should be flexible and confidential to encourage them to speak up. As the report reads, “Better awareness and more varied reporting channels enable employees to know exactly where to report harassment and what to expect if they do so.”

Generational gaps in training

Training is a preventive pillar closely connected to increased safety and confidence. All in all, 71% of surveyed persons feel safe due to the practices of their employer, and the majority had training on codes of conduct (63%), harassment prevention (58%), workplace violence prevention (50%), inclusion (48%), and unconscious bias (23%).

The training was highly successful, with 92% of participants reporting that the content applied to their industry. This indicates that organizations are effectively making the programs more realistic. However, 14% of the workers have not been trained within the past year.

This is an age difference: almost a quarter (24%) of Baby Boomers reported having no training, compared to 7% of Gen Z. This inconsistency is a sign of disjointed action. 

The report states that “Today’s multi-generational workforce expects practical, scenario-based training that is relevant to the employees’ day‑to-day interactions.” 

“This shift toward more tailored, role-specific learning that draws on real‑world contexts and reinforces accountability reflects the modern workforce’s desire for interactive, grounded training models.”

Leadership failures erode trust

Of all employees who reported harassment, more than one-third (38%) were dissatisfied with their employer’s response, and the level of dissatisfaction was even higher among female employees.

Their perceptions of poor management will lead to higher turnover and a lack of interest in reporting further problems, with consequences for the culture and the stability of the work environment.

Some of the report factors include leadership and infrastructure. Survey data indicate that non-supervisory employees are the most frequent perpetrators of harassment (37%), while supervisors collectively account for 35% of such incidents. 

As the report notes, “Harassment is not a role-specific infraction, and these results mark the importance of harassment prevention training for all levels.”

Employees in larger offices feel more secure about the reporting process because the HR systems and processes in such offices are standardized.

The way ahead demands that leaders communicate openly and issue zero-tolerance policies, have easy, reliable reporting mechanisms, and be firm to preserve credibility.

According to Forbes, Michael Cohen, Employment Law and Workplace Culture Expert at Duane Morris, suggests, “In the face of this lack of clarity, it is important for employers to rely on certain bedrock principles and to take steps to ensure a working environment that is as comfortable as possible, as much as the time as possible for as many as possible.”