‘Too many people are being silenced by toxic workplace cultures’, says a March 2018 report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Turning the Tables (PDF) looks at how sexual harassment is dealt with by employers, and uses the evidence from individuals who have experienced sexual harassment at work to recommend improvements.
The report finds:
- Around a quarter of those reporting harassment said that the perpetrators were third parties such as customers or clients
- Many individuals believed that senior colleagues, due to their position of influence within organisations, were not challenged by HR departments or other colleagues, with some describing these individuals as ‘untouchable’
- Around half the respondents hadn’t reported their experience of harassment to anyone in the workplace
- In around half of the cases where individuals did report the incident, respondents said that employers took no action as a result.
