But in recent years, and particularly since the "Me too" campaign got under way overseas and now here in New Zealand, the spotlight has been full beam on the working environment and workplace cultures in New Zealand.
No one can - hand on heart - say "Nothing like that happens in our sector, organisation or business" and if they do they are deluding themselves.
I can understand the Law Society's dismay and shock. It was aware of allegations and had acted in many instances. But it's the scale of what members reported that has taken the society completely by surprise.
Although apparently not all lawyers are prepared to believe the scale of the report's findings. These would be the ones that think these allegations don't belong in their profession.
They need to take their head out of where it's buried. When your professional body asks you to honestly respond to a confidential survey you take the opportunity to tell it as it is.
This may be the first time you are able to tell anybody about your experiences. You would also hope that by sharing what has happened to you, this will see improvements in the work culture and eventually the elimination of sexual harassment and bullying.
So after the shock, what comes next? Not just a one-off training session for all employees.
This is often seen to be doing something and then that's it, problem addressed.
It's got to be a comprehensive approach, starting at the top. Making sure senior partners know that sexual harassment is not really about sex. It's about power, aggression, and manipulation. It's an abuse-of-power problem.
Employees should be encouraged to learn about laws relating to sexual harassment, know company policies and procedures for filing complaints and what the expectations of behaviour are for all employees.
Training could include intervention training. That can help produce a sense of accountability, where employees are expected to speak up and even file their own complaints when they witness sexual harassment involving another employee.
Successful training will often see an increase in complaints in the short term as more employees feel empowered to report misconduct. But this usually reduces after a period of time. Annual refresher training should also be provided.
Sexual harassment is not just a women's problem, although they continue to be the main victims.
Until men own their responsibility in the problem, it's going to be a long hard slog.
But there is no turning back now.
Workplaces should be proactive in this area and not sit around and wait for a complaint or the proverbial to hit the fan.
