“A hidden world of sexual harassment, with female managers exploiting their power over men in the office,” was how the Guardian newspaper reported the findings of a DTI survey which found that two in five victims of sexual harassment are men. Perhaps a ‘hidden world’ for the majority of their readership, but any HR manager with their finger on the pulse should be aware that it can exist in any workplace, that the resulting stress and health problems can affect either gender equally, and be indiscriminate in their determination to tackle it. “Sexual harassment is defined as any form of denigration of workers because of their sex; whether that’s the way a manager treats one gender more favourably than another, or is overly critical of one gender of employees over another,” says Liz Linington, Chapple HR recruitment specialist. “Complaints from men should be taken just as seriously,” she adds, “particularly given that research shows that men are less likely to report sexual harassment in the first case,” she says.