New data show small companies with fewer than five employees are less likely than their larger counterparts to have formal policies in place when it comes to sexual harassment in the office, but since the #MeToo movement began, 5 percent of small businesses say they have fired or suspended an employee. A survey of more than 2,000 small business owners found that half of small-business owners have a formal policy on how to handle harassment claims. But at businesses with zero to four employees, only 39 percent had such policies, compared to 85 percent of businesses with 50 or more employees, according to the CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey. In the wake of the string of high-profile sexual harassment accusations and the #MeToo movement, firings and suspensions have not been common among small businesses, but Main Street has become more aware. Eleven percent of businesses said they've issued company-wide communications to remind people of sexual harassment policies and reporting procedures, while 9 percent say they've reviewed policies around diversity and gender equality in hiring and promotion. In addition, 7 percent have required new or additional training, and 4 percent have rolled out new reporting procedures. Overall, 61 percent said they'd not taken any of the above actions.

Take Back The Workplace March And #MeToo Survivors March & Rally on November 12, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Chelsea Guglielmino | FilmMagic | Getty Images

"This is one of those issues that entrepreneurs may tend to overlook, and it's something that sneaks up on them," said Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the nonpartisan advocacy group, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. "They may believe the culture they've established is one of respect, and that is enough to send a message that inappropriate behavior is unacceptable and it won't happen in their workplace. But given the high-profile nature of the issue and how it has played out in every sector, that should be a wake-up call to business owners." What's more, the business owner is often the one handling these claims in the place of a human resources professional, which could seemingly make it more challenging for employees facing issues to speak up. Some two-thirds of the smallest businesses polled by CNBC and SurveyMonkey said that the business owner is responsible; 3 percent said a human resources professional handles harassment issues. Ten percent of these companies said there is no specified way to handle harassment. The numbers flip significantly at businesses with 50 or more employees, where only 15 percent of business owners said they were the ones to handle harassment claims, 62 percent went to human resources staff and 6 percent said there is not a specific way to handle these claims.

Given the high-profile nature of the issue and how it has played out in every sector, that should be a wake-up call to business owners. Karen Kerrigan president and CEO of the nonpartisan advocacy group, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council