One in seven women endure unwanted sexual behaviour at work, survey finds
New data reveals that more than a quarter of women have faced harassment at work, and one in seven have been subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour, highlighting a persistent problem across UK workplaces.
WalkSafe, a safety platform founded after the tragic murder of Sarah Everard, has released statistics highlighting a worrying trend of threatening behaviour in the workplace.
The data shows that in the last five years, 27 per cent of women and 16 per cent of men have experienced harassment at work.
Fourteen per cent reported experiencing sexual harassment and 16 per cent have considered leaving their jobs due to these experiences.
In London, nearly a quarter of women (22 per cent) reported workplace harassment, while one in nine (11 per cent) said they had faced unwanted sexual advances.
This comes as more than half of employees feel companies should do more to help them feel safer at work, with 82 per cent saying they would value the ability to report crime or community issues in their workplace.
Emma Kay, founder of WalkSafe, said: “This new research just shows that harassment in the workplace, especially for women, is at alarmingly high levels and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
The government is currently exploring additional ways to prevent harassment and create safer environments, in line with the new Workers’ Protection Act.
Under the Workers’ Protection Act, employers need to comply with the legal duty to take ‘reasonable steps’ aiming to prevent sexual harassment of employees. The Employment Tribunals also gained the power to increase compensation by up to 25 per cent if they find that an employer has breached this duty.
Reporting problem
Despite this, the WalkSafe survey suggests that many are not even reporting their concerns, as over one in 10 have wanted to alert a manager to the fact that they have been harassed, but have not done so.
While nine per cent didn’t report sexual harassment because they didn’t think they would be believed or cared about.
The report noted that over half of workers would like an anonymous reporting system so they could alert the business to unwanted behaviour, and 54 per cent would be more likely to report inappropriate behaviour in the workplace if they could do it anonymously.
As a result, WalkSafe launched a new ‘anonymous check-in’ tool to help HR teams tackle workplace harassment before it escalates.
The new discreet reporting feature, called WalkSafe Pro Prevent, provides employees with a safe way to raise concerns early, helping companies protect their staff, prevent scandals, and avoid costly lawsuits.
Kay explained: “WalkSafe Pro Prevent helps companies comply with the recent Workers Protection Legislation, and is a valuable benefit for employees, building a strong company culture with a reputation for prioritising wellbeing and employee safety.”
“WalkSafe Pro gives HR managers and companies an early warning of developing harassment issues at work so they can deal with them before they escalate into formal complaints, avoiding negative PR and lawsuits,” she added.