The reality of sexual harassment in today’s workplaces

How do respected employers find themselves in precarious situations? Despite having policies in place to address sexual harassment, designated ambassadors for speaking up, whistleblowing schemes, and initiatives like Board Champions for women, organisations can still be caught off guard when allegations surface revealing that sexual harassment is happening more than they thought among their employees

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Acas

Over the past year, we’ve witnessed cases in the media where prominent organisations have faltered. They may have failed to scrutinise their practices closely or neglected to ask the right questions. The ensuing reputational and financial fallout has been evident to all.

Efforts to address the issue

In the UK, the impending Worker Protection Act, effective from October 2024, mandates employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. While recognised as a significant step forward, it is acknowledged that the new law falls short, necessitating further support for employers to adapt to the impending changes.

Common challenges

There are several shared major challenges in workplaces:

• Unchallenged behaviours: Ingrained behaviours in workplaces often go unchallenged, creating an environment where staff feel unable to be themselves, and disclosures are infrequent.
• Deleterious solutions: Some solutions, such as ‘zero tolerance’ policies, can erode employee trust if individuals feel their concerns are dismissed. Similarly, ‘champions’ need clear objectives and accountability to be effective.
• Reporting challenges: Effective reporting mechanisms, particularly for larger employers operating across multiple countries, remain elusive.
• Loss of trust: Victims of harassment, especially women, are likely to leave organisations within 18 months, regardless of complaint outcomes.
• Priority on financials: Monetary concerns often overshadow employee welfare, leading to underreporting of issues.

Proposed solutions

To address these challenges, several solutions are:

• Transparency and accountability: Commitment to transparent measurement and reporting emerged as a crucial first step for all organisations.
• Enhanced communication: Boards need to grasp the challenges faced by staff, potentially by including the HR Director, regularly reviewing employee surveys, and proactively investigating emerging concerns.
• Employee voice: Organisations must provide effective voice mechanisms, such as published surveys, trade union representation, or workers on boards, to ensure staff feel heard.
• Insightful questions: Boards should identify key questions to gain insights into the scale of the issue, such as staff turnover gender gaps and the volume of NDAs signed.

 Sexual harassment remains a pervasive issue in workplaces despite the presence of policies and initiatives. By utilising resources like those provided by ACAS and fostering a culture of openness and accountability, organisations can take meaningful steps towards creating safer and more inclusive environments for all employees.