HAS workplace sexual harassment remained such a well hidden problem that a study the women's group Aware released last week comes as an almost total surprise? More than half - 54 per cent - of 500 people it polled recently reported experiencing it. It is hard to reconcile the finding with the statement in Parliament last March by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower, Mr Hawazi Daipi, that his ministry 'hardly receives complaints of such nature'. Neither has this newspaper received letters from readers in numbers that would indicate that this is a widespread problem. Indeed we've hardly received any. These reality checks will raise questions over the scope and methodology of the survey and the best way to deal with such conduct. But whatever the actual prevalence of such behaviour on the ground, there should be zero tolerance among employers as well as employees.

Offensive and unwanted attention or action violates a worker's dignity, often causing psychological if not physical harm. It leads to tensions, affecting team work and performance. It lowers morale and reduces productivity. So, even if it is not as widespread as the survey indicated, the problem deserves serious attention by employers, unions and the Government. The tripartite approach has served well in other areas of industrial relations; there is no reason why it should not do so in this.

Employers have to do more to raise awareness and to foster an environment conducive to work. They need to introduce a conduct code and establish clear procedures to handle complaints. Aware reported that only eight of 92 employers it contacted bothered to share with it information on anti-harassment policy and practice, a response it said indicated a lack of interest or 'reluctance'. Businesses have no lack of sample guidelines to adopt based on internationally accepted best practices. The online SME Singapore Toolkit for small- and medium- sized enterprises, for example, offers one that could readily be adapted to Singapore's multicultural and multilingual work places.

Unions continue to play an important role in taking up workers' complaints. To stem any rise in harassment, they also need to make members more aware of their rights. Legal recourse, including civil action and lodging a police report under the Penal Code, remains available, but prevention through awareness is always better than prosecution and punishment after the fact. Clearly, much remains to be done to make workplace sexual harassment, whatever its prevalence, less of a taboo topic and more of a concern for discussion and action.