A damning new survey has revealed that that three in four workers in Ireland have experienced discrimination.
The survey also flagged that "virtual bullying" is on the rise - and warned that the vast majority fear that a glass ceiling exists for women.
The 2022 Workplace Equality Survey found that almost three in four (71%) workers have experienced some form of discrimination in their place of employment, a 54% increase on last yearâs findings (46%, 2021).
More than 2,700 adults were quizzed for the study that covered a wide range of workplace issues including discrimination, racism, workplace bullying, and gender pay gaps.
Ethnic discrimination was found to be one of the most common forms of prejudice, identified by 30% of the people quizzed.
And 29% said that they have experienced sexual harassment while one in four said that they had been stereotyped because of their gender.
Other key areas of discrimination identified included religious discrimination (24%), exclusion because of age (21%) and pay discrimination (23%).
A quarter of men said they knew a colleague of the opposite sex and with the same role/responsibility who is being paid less than them.
This compared to 17% of women who said they knew a colleague with the same role/responsibility, of the opposite sex, that is being paid less than them.
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When asked what they would do if they discovered that a colleague with similar years of service and of the opposite sex was being paid more for the same work, more than a third said they would address it with their manager (35%), and a quarter said they would actively look for a new job (26%). Just 5% said they would do nothing.
A total of 73% of workers believe that Irelandâs workplaces have a problem with racism and almost half (44%) agree that ethnic minorities have fewer promotional opportunities than their colleagues.
Just a quarter (25%) believe that ethnic minorities have equal opportunities.
More than three quarters (77%) of people surveyed saying they have undergone training at work on issues relating to equality and discrimination. This is up on last yearâs figure of just 39%.
Breda Dooley of Matrix Recruitment said: "Any form of discrimination or harassment is totally unacceptable, and our most recent findings show that it continues to manifest in the workplace, despite the strict laws in place to protect workers.
"No one should have to put up with any sort of discriminatory behaviour and we encourage victims to address the problem with a manager or trusted colleague.â
Bullying in the workplace was identified as a problem by the majority of respondents (91%). Almost three quarters (73%) say they have witnessed or have been the victim of bullying or harassment in a work-based setting.
A quarter said it involved humiliation on video calls (27%) or harassment on emails and/or virtual corporate communication platforms (24%).
Almost everyone who took part in the survey (92%) feels that there is a âglass ceilingâ for women in the workplace in Ireland.
Breda Dooley added: "âGender quotas can reduce gender wage gaps, lead to more flexible work options and allow for more diverse perspectives and better working conditions for everyone.
"The findings in this survey are particularly timely, following the introduction of the Corporate Governance (Gender Balance) Bill to the DÃáil which, if enacted, would require companies to have at least 40% of each gender on their board."
