Free, private information for people in Canada
Sexual
harassment
at work? You
have options.
You did not cause this. You do not have to decide everything today. Start with what you need right now.
For people who’ve been sexually harassed at work.
- Trauma-informed
- Reviewed by experts
Before you do anything
Three quiet steps can
help protect you.
None of these steps commits you to reporting, confronting anyone, or leaving your job.
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Assess your situation
Notice how your workplace handles power, fairness, and past complaints.
Read the guide -
Document what is happening
Keep a private record and evidence somewhere your employer cannot access.
See what to record -
Build a support network
Choose people who will listen, believe you, and let you stay in control.
Find the right support
Complete guide library
Find an answer
without reading everything.
Every existing topic is still here. Search in plain language, filter by need, or browse the full set.
What harassment is, what the law covers, and why your reaction makes sense.
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What is workplace sexual harassment?
Unwanted behaviour tied to your sex or gender—it ranges from jokes to violence, targets people with less power, and is illegal in Canada. 3-minute read -
How can you tell if what you are experiencing is sexual harassment?
If it feels like sexual harassment, it almost certainly is—even if it's 'normal' where you work, it happens off-site, or isn't from your boss. 3-minute read -
How does the law in Canada determine if I've been harassed?
Judges ask whether the conduct was based on your sex or gender, whether it was unwelcome, unreasonable, and repeated. One severe act can count. 3-minute read -
How does sexual harassment affect people's mental health?
What harassment does to your mental health, why self-blame is a lie, and the warning signs that mean it's time to get help. 8-minute read -
How can sexual harassment affect my career?
Reporting is the biggest career risk and quitting protects your reputation best. How harassment sets you back, and how to limit the damage. 9-minute read -
How sexual harassment can hurt you financially
Every path costs money—staying, reporting, and quitting each carry a financial hit that can reach six or seven figures over a lifetime. 6-minute read -
You’re being sexually harassed at work. What are your options?
Your three options—stay, report, or quit—and why people rarely regret which they chose, only the time spent agonizing over it. 8-minute read -
What harassment looks like for people who are trans, nonbinary, or gender-queer, and how to protect yourself
Trans and nonbinary workers face the most harassment—why misgendering and deadnaming count under the law, and how to protect yourself. 11-minute read -
What harassment looks like for people in the personal care industry, and how you can protect yourself
Why harassment in personal-care work is so common, plus some scripts for holding professional boundaries with clients. 14-minute read -
What harassment looks like for people in the gig economy, and how you can protect yourself
Gig workers face more harassment and have less protection. How to protect yourself when the law and the platforms won't. 8-minute read -
What the research says about workplace sexual harassment
47 years of research, listed out in full: harassment is about power, is as damaging as serious illness, and reporting rarely helps. 15-minute read -
How to help someone else
The most important thing you can do for someone harassed: believe them, say so, and ask what they need, without pushing them to act. 5-minute read -
The 21 things you need to know about workplace sexual harassment
21 takeaways from 47 years of research: harassment is everywhere, almost no one reports—and reporting often doesn't help anyway. 7-minute read -
The financial effects of gender-based workplace harassment
Harassment is an economic injury—a career 'scar' that can cost hundreds of thousands over a lifetime, no matter how you respond. 5-minute read
Quiet, practical steps you can take without telling anyone at work.
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How (and why) to document everything
How to keep a log and evidence that will hold up, and the one rule: never write down what you'd never want anyone to see. 4-minute read -
How (and why) to assess your situation
Before you act, size up your workplace: does it tolerate harassment, who can you trust there, and what support might exist. 5-minute read -
How (and why) to build a support network
Support from other people really helps. Pick people who listen without taking over, be careful who you tell at work, and don't overlook hotlines. 3-minute read -
Getting punished for complaining and how to protect yourself
Being punished for complaining is common, and when a boss does it that's an illegal reprisal you can fight. How to prove it. 7-minute read -
How to protect your career
The best way to protect your career is to keep your energy on your goals, not the harasser—plus tactics for whether you reported or stayed. 5-minute read -
How to protect yourself financially
Harassment usually costs you money. How to protect yourself whether you stay, report, or quit, starting with getting a lawyer before you leave. 5-minute read -
How to make a plan to keep yourself safe at work
How to build a written safety plan before you need it—trusted allies, safe exits, code words, and changing when you work alone. 4-minute read -
How to get paid time off because you’re being sexually harassed
Where to find paid leave—sick days, disability, or EI—and the hard truth that beyond a few minimum days, every route is slow and may be denied. 3-minute read -
How whisper networks can help keep you safe at work
How warning networks fail the newest and most vulnerable people, and how you can use them to protect yourself and others. 6-minute read -
The secret your employer doesn't want you to know
The secret is the demand letter, which asks your employer to give you money as compensation for what happened. Surprisingly often, it works. 8-minute read
Looking after your mental health while the situation is unresolved.
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Why we blame ourselves and what can help
Self-blame is your brain grasping for control, but you didn't cause what happened. How to let go of self-blame. 6-minute read -
How to make sense of what happened to you: Understanding the trauma of sexual harassment
Your response was your survival brain, not a character flaw. How trauma works, and why none of it was a choice you made. 8-minute read -
Anger: Why we feel it and what can help
Anger is a valid signal you were wronged—it's never wrong to feel it. What helps you cool down without taking it out on people you love. 5-minute read -
Depression and sadness: Why we feel them and what can help
Sadness eases when you let yourself feel it; depression is treatable and not a life sentence. What helps, and why how you feel now will change. 6-minute read -
Fear, worry, and anxiety: Why we feel them and what can help
Fear and anxiety are your mind guarding you against a real threat, and they're treatable. What eases them, and why panic attacks can't hurt you. 4-minute read -
Grief and loss: Why we feel them and what can help
Harassment makes you grieve real losses, like your time, safety, trust, and plans you had. Why it comes in waves, and what helps. 6-minute read -
Shock, confusion, and disbelief: Why we feel them and what can help
Shock and disbelief are normal, and are often delayed. So go easy, hold off on big decisions, and trust your own memory. 5-minute read -
20 ways to take care of your mental health
A 20-item toolbox for coping. The throughline: it's not your fault, and every decision is yours to make. 8-minute read
Weighing a move, a new role, or time away — with the money side included.
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How to decide whether to change your career to get away from harassment—and how to make that work
People who leave high-harassment fields end up happier but often poorer, so the real question is whether you can trade income for safety. 7-minute read -
How to decide whether to quit your job—and how to make that work
Most people who quit don't regret it, so the real question is how to leave well: line up a job, see a lawyer first, and let go of the guilt. 6-minute read -
How to navigate a world that's not just
Harassment is a betrayal of the fairness we're promised. Why it shakes your trust, and how telling your story helps you rebuild it. 8-minute read
The formal routes, side by side, with the risks and timelines stated plainly.
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How can I talk with my employer to get them to stop the harassment?
Scripts for asking your employer to step in informally—and the catch that raising it at all can trigger a formal investigation. 4-minute read -
How can I talk with the harasser to get them to stop?
You're not obligated to confront your harasser, and it often won't work. If you try, aim only to make clear the behaviour is unwelcome. 2-minute read -
You’re being sexually harassed at work. Should you report?
Whether to report comes down to whether your employer will handle it well—how to read the warning signs before you decide. 4-minute read -
How to decide whether to take legal action (and what to expect if you do)
Suing is mainly about money and can drag on for years, but starting doesn't lock you in: 98% of cases settle or end early. What to consider. 16-minute read -
How to find and work with a lawyer
You'll want an employment lawyer. How to find one, keep the cost down by limiting scope, and what a lawyer can and can't do for you. 9-minute read -
How to decide whether to go public, and how to protect yourself if you do
Going public can lead to online abuse, a defamation lawsuit, or career damage. Here's how to protect yourself. 9-minute read -
Who blows the whistle on sexual harassment, and what happens to them afterward
Whistleblowers pay a heavy price and rarely get justice—yet nearly all would do it again. If that's you, you probably already know it. 7-minute read -
Working with your union
How your union is supposed to help, and the important conflict that means too often it can't or won't. 11-minute read -
How to decide whether to go to the police
Some harassment is criminal, but most isn't, and with police clearing about 1 in 10 cases, reporting is a personal call. What to consider. 8-minute read
Three legal routes explained for each of the 14 Canadian jurisdictions.
Federal3 guides
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Federal: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In the federal system, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 9-minute read -
Federal: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate under federal law—and your options if they ignore it or retaliate, as many do. 12-minute read -
Federal: Should you apply for workers comp?
Federally regulated workers have no separate workers comp system—claims go to a provincial board, and only some cover harm from harassment. 1-minute read
Alberta3 guides
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Alberta: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Alberta, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 9-minute read -
Alberta: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Alberta—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 12-minute read -
Alberta: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Alberta, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 6-minute read
British Columbia3 guides
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British Columbia: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In British Columbia, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 10-minute read -
British Columbia: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in British Columbia—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 12-minute read -
British Columbia: Should you apply for workers comp?
In British Columbia, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 6-minute read
Manitoba3 guides
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Manitoba: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Manitoba, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 8-minute read -
Manitoba: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Manitoba—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 11-minute read -
Manitoba: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Manitoba, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 6-minute read
New Brunswick3 guides
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New Brunswick: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In New Brunswick, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 8-minute read -
New Brunswick: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in New Brunswick—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 10-minute read -
New Brunswick: Should you apply for workers comp?
In New Brunswick, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 2-minute read
Newfoundland and Labrador3 guides
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Newfoundland and Labrador: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Newfoundland and Labrador, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 7-minute read -
Newfoundland and Labrador: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Newfoundland and Labrador—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 11-minute read -
Newfoundland and Labrador: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Newfoundland and Labrador, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 2-minute read
Northwest Territories3 guides
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Northwest Territories: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In the Northwest Territories, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 7-minute read -
Northwest Territories: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in the Northwest Territories—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 11-minute read -
Northwest Territories: Should you apply for workers comp?
In the Northwest Territories, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 5-minute read
Nova Scotia3 guides
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Nova Scotia: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Nova Scotia, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 7-minute read -
Nova Scotia: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Nova Scotia—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 11-minute read -
Nova Scotia: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Nova Scotia, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 5-minute read
Nunavut3 guides
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Nunavut: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Nunavut, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 6-minute read -
Nunavut: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Nunavut—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 10-minute read -
Nunavut: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Nunavut, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 5-minute read
Ontario3 guides
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Ontario: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Ontario, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 11-minute read -
Ontario: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Ontario—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 12-minute read -
Ontario: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Ontario, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 7-minute read
Prince Edward Island3 guides
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Prince Edward Island: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Prince Edward Island, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 7-minute read -
Prince Edward Island: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Prince Edward Island—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 11-minute read -
Prince Edward Island: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Prince Edward Island, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 4-minute read
Quebec3 guides
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Quebec: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Quebec, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 7-minute read -
Quebec: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Quebec—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 11-minute read -
Quebec: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Quebec, workers comp (CNESST) rarely helps with harassment—psychological claims are usually rejected, so other routes may serve you better. 3-minute read
Saskatchewan3 guides
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Saskatchewan: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Saskatchewan, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 8-minute read -
Saskatchewan: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Saskatchewan—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 11-minute read -
Saskatchewan: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Saskatchewan, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 2-minute read
Yukon3 guides
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Yukon: How to decide whether to file a human rights complaint
In Yukon, filing is free and usually ends in a private settlement, not public vindication—how to weigh the trade-off. 7-minute read -
Yukon: How to report sexual harassment to your employer
How to make a formal report your employer must investigate in Yukon—and what to do if they ignore or retaliate, as many do. 12-minute read -
Yukon: Should you apply for workers comp?
In Yukon, workers comp can replace lost wages, but harassment claims are hard to win—how to tell whether it's worth applying. 2-minute read
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Workplace sexual harassment in Canada: where to start
Sexual harassment at work is a form of discrimination under Canadian human rights law and occupational health and safety law. It covers unwanted sexual comments, jokes, questions, images, requests, and touching, as well as retaliation for refusing or reporting them. It can come from a manager, a coworker, a client, or a contractor, and it can happen in an office, on a job site, in a vehicle, on a night shift, or in a group chat.
Which rules apply to you depends on where you work. Employees in federally regulated workplaces — banking, telecommunications, rail, air, and interprovincial transport — fall under the Canada Labour Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act. Everyone else is covered by their province or territory: Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, or Nunavut.
There are usually three formal routes: a human rights complaint, an internal report to your employer, and a workers’ compensation claim for psychological injury. Each has its own process, its own timeline, and its own filing deadline — often between six months and two years from the last incident, depending on the jurisdiction and the route. Aftermetoo explains all three for each of the fourteen Canadian jurisdictions so you can compare them before deciding anything.
You can also do nothing formal for now. Many people begin by writing down what happened, saving evidence somewhere their employer cannot reach, and telling one person they trust. Our guides cover documentation, human rights complaints, employer reporting, workers’ compensation, constructive dismissal, references, counselling, anxiety and sleep, and the financial side of leaving a job — free, in English and French, and without an account.
Common questions
Questions people
ask us most.
Short answers in plain language, with a fuller guide behind each one if you want the detail. You do not have to read them in order.
Sexual harassment covers unwanted comments, jokes, questions, images, requests, and touching — not only physical acts. It does not have to be repeated, and it does not have to come from a manager. If you are unsure, the Understanding guides explain what counts under Canadian law without asking you to describe anything.
Read what counts as harassmentReporting is one option among several. The guides explain the choices, risks, and processes so you can consider what fits your situation. Nothing on this site requires a decision today.
Explore the decision to reportTime limits differ by jurisdiction and by route — a human rights complaint, an internal employer process, and workers’ compensation each have their own. Choose your province, territory, or the federal jurisdiction in the guide library to see the limits that apply where you work.
Check the limits where you workYou do not need an account to read these guides. If you share a device or browse on a work network, your activity may still leave a trace. Read our privacy policy and the privacy section before deciding how to browse.
Read about privacyWe publish legal information, which explains how the law and the processes generally work. Only a lawyer or a community legal clinic can advise you about your own situation.
Find and work with a lawyerSome options may still be available after you leave. Deadlines vary and may be counted from the last incident rather than your last day. Our guides discuss your options and the financial side of leaving a job.
Read about leaving a jobThe guide library answers these questions in more detail.
