A new survey by INvolve, the global network and consultancy for diversity, equality and inclusion in business, found that more than half of women (55%) believe women at their workplace face sexual harassment. Nearly one in ten (8%) feel this risk is “significant”.
In the survey of 1,002 female employees of organisations with 250+ workers, it was found that 25 percent of respondents said they had experienced sexual harassment at their workplace in the past five years. More than one-tenth of respondents (11%) reported having witnessed sexual misconduct multiple times.
INvolve’s research comes in advance of a change that will be made to the Worker Protection Act (Amendment of Equality Act 2010), Act 2023, on October 26, 2024. Employers will then have a duty to prevent sexual harassing. Employers are now required to take reasonable measures to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
The survey results show that many organisations fail to take effective measures to reduce sexual harassment at work. Less than half of respondents (48%) said that their employers have a clearly defined sexual harassment policy. And less than one-third (32%) say their employer has implemented an impartial and fair investigation process. Nearly one-fifth (17%) of respondents stated their workplace had not taken any steps to reduce sexual harassment.
The survey results also raise questions about employers’ reporting policies for sexual harassment. Many respondents (83%) said that they would be able to report sexual abuse if they experienced it, witnessed it or heard about it. However, a significant number of them said they wouldn’t know what to do. One in five respondents (20%) said they wouldn’t know what to do if sexual harassment was experienced or witnessed.
Nearly one fifth (19%) of respondents agreed that they would not take action if sexual misconduct was reported. 7% strongly agreed, which indicates a lack in trust for the organisation’s accountability.
Women surveyed stated that they felt their organization’s leadership was committed to creating a work environment where women feel safe and respected. However, less than half of them (44%) said they were’very’ committed to this, and one out of ten women (13%) believed their employer wasn’t committed.
Suki Sandhu, founder and CEO of INvolve says, “The results are deeply worrying, and show how much work businesses have to do in order to ensure women employees are safe at the workplace. Our research shows that while safety must be a top priority for employers, many do not take the protection of female employees seriously.
This data shows that organisations must review their policies on sexual harassment and make sure they are not just clear but also implemented effectively and communicated to employees. While we applaud the updated Worker Protection Act it is important to remember it only outlines the minimum requirements from employers. If organisations are serious in their commitment to the inclusion of women, they must create an environment that makes sexual harassment unacceptable for all employees and at all levels.
Leaders must be accountable and take the initiative to make real changes by taking effective preventative and proactive measures. Employers need to ensure that women are supported and safe, and they must do all they can to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace.
The original version of this post Women are still at risk for sexual harassment, according to research, even though employers now have a legal responsibility appeared first on Human Resources News.
