Daphne P. was 22 years old when, at her first job, she heard two phrases from her employer’s mouth that she remembers vividly even today, although six years have passed and memories should normally fade: “It’s normal that you draw attention with a body like that. You work in hospitality, you have to get used to the comments—and the touches too.” She did not react at the time, continuing to work at the business, knowing that any response could cost her the only source of income she had as a student in Athens. “I never told anyone because I was afraid of what might follow,” she shares today.
Complaints
Despite movements and international protests worldwide, the problem of bullying and harassment in workplaces does not appear to be diminishing. Often, the lack of inspections or sufficient measures to protect employees seems to worsen the situation. This is a reality for many workers in Greece as well. In fact, related complaints in Greece appear to have more than doubled over the past two years, without accounting for the “dark number” of victims and incidents that remain invisible, trapped in silence.
A Hostile Climate
A brief historical review shows that sexual harassment in the workplace was officially recognized for the first time in 1970. The International Labour Organization (ILO) later defined it as “any unwelcome, non-reciprocal, and uninvited behavior of a sexual nature that is offensive to the individual involved and causes threat, humiliation, and shame.” Later, the definition expanded to include “any form of unwelcome verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature intended to offend the dignity of an individual, especially when it creates an intimidating, hostile, humiliating, or offensive environment.”
In Greece, the latest Labor Inspectorate report notes that the hospitality sector still ranks first for the most reported cases of sexual harassment (29%), followed closely by hotel businesses, where incidents increase year after year.
Daily Life
How does the law define sexual harassment today? Touching, intrusive looks, comments or jokes about the victim’s body or clothing, use of sexual language, or insinuations about their private life.
“I felt exposed. I was ashamed, I didn’t know how to react. I felt uncomfortable in a space where I spent eight hours every day,” adds Daphne. And it was not the last time. Comments recurred, touches became part of daily life, sometimes in front of colleagues, sometimes privately. When she reacted, she was told she was exaggerating and that “this is how things are done here.”
Men and Women File Complaints
Of the complaints filed in the past year, 233 concerned women (66%), while 120 complaints (34%) were submitted by men. Men, however, remain the majority of reported offenders: 70% (280 cases) versus 30% for women (121 cases). Almost 40% of cases involve harassment or violence by the employer, while in 60% the accused is another employee, supervisor, or person in a position of authority. Behind the numbers, however, are real people and stories. Most incidents involve verbal, psychological, and moral abuse. There are also cases of sexual harassment and physical violence, showing that workplace violence has no limits.
Behind the Numbers
Daphne’s experience is not unique. Women shared with To Vima experiences they cannot forget. Dimitra P., 36, who works in a neighborhood store, reported sexual harassment by a colleague: “I informed everyone responsible, from the store manager to the regional director. Even though he admitted his actions, the company did nothing to protect me,” she says. Instead, she was moved twice to other stores and eventually received a formal dismissal notice, citing “improper performance of duties.” The case was resolved extrajudicially, with the complaint withdrawn.
The Incidents
Most incidents in the Labor Inspectorate report involved employees aged 45–64 (37%), followed by 35–44 (26%) and 18–24 (24%), and fewer in the 25–34 age group (13%), confirming that harassment does not decrease with age or experience but persists at different levels and hierarchies in the workplace.
As Georgia Vazaki, head of the Independent Department for Monitoring Violence and Harassment at Work, notes, “It is more important than ever that employees understand in every workplace that they should not tolerate any form of harassing behavior and that they exercise their rights.” The Annual Report, for the first time, attempts to record qualitative data based on the size of the companies reported.
It’s a Risk
More incidents of violence and harassment (42%) occur in small businesses, where their naturally “family-like” character may exacerbate problematic behaviors toward employees. Medium-sized businesses follow with 25%, keeping the top spots in reported complaints. Large companies (250+ employees) follow at 18%. Despite legal protection mechanisms, many employees feel that filing a complaint is a risk, and many prefer to remain silent. The hardest part is often not the behavior itself but what happens after speaking out, as employees feel targeted once again.
“He even touched me without my consent, emphasizing his powerful position in the company,” says Elli S., 29, who works in a hotel and reported her employer for repeated sexual harassment and offensive behavior.
Although all claims were examined, the authority concluded that “it was not possible to draw safe and objective conclusions,” referring the case to the courts. The complaint remained unresolved.
“From Tolerance to Change”
As Ms. Vazaki adds, under the central message “from tolerance to change,” the primary concern of the Labor Inspectorate is to make it clear that visibility of unacceptable violent and harassing behaviors is steadily increasing. “Our goal is to ensure not just a workplace free from violence and harassment, but an entire society that has laid the foundations of zero tolerance for behaviors that attack the core of human dignity.”
