Equally Safe at Work: New learning and development resources to address sexual harassment at work

High levels of sexual harassment remain consistent in the workplace, which has a detrimental impact on women, colleagues and the entire organisation. In our Equally Safe at Work employee survey in early adopter councils, three-quarters (75%) of respondents had either experienced or witnessed sexual harassment in the last 12 months and 70% didn’t report it to their employer. We know that women rarely report sexual harassment, and violence against women in general. This is because some think nothing will change, or that they won’t be believed. In some cases, women worry it will affect their career progression. As well, women have shared that they tried to report to their line manager, and received little to no support to make a formal report to HR.

Sexual harassment has serious physical, psychological and professional impacts for women, leading to many taking time off work, changing jobs or leaving the organisation. This is costly both to women’s careers and to employers as they lose key people. It harms women’s employment prospects, and as such is both a cause and consequence of women’s wider inequality.

It’s essential that employers take steps to address sexual harassment in their workplace. From previous scoping work undertaken, by Close the Gap, it was apparent that there was a gap in existing learning and development resources on sexual harassment that recognised it as a gendered phenomenon. Without addressing the underlying power dynamics and gender inequality inherent to sexual harassment, little change will be made in challenging it.

What we did

As part of Equally Safe at Work, Close the Gap developed a learning and development resource for employers to increase awareness and understanding of sexual harassment in different staff groups. The development of the resource was funded by Rosa and includes:

• key messages for all employees,
• guidance for line managers,
• e-learning modules for line managers,
• awareness-raising material, and
• an expert workshop for staff involved in investigating sexual harassment.

The resource aims to provide organisations with essential information on sexual harassment including, what sexual harassment looks like in the workplace and what employees can do to address sexual harassment and prevent it. It further provides employers with tools for engaging with different audiences, such as the key messages and awareness-raising material.

Line managers have an important role in tackling sexual harassment. Equipping line managers with the knowledge and understanding of how best to address sexual harassment is key for building trust in the reporting process and for creating a positive workplace culture. Our guidance provides information on the factors that facilitate sexual harassment which include gender stereotyping, everyday sexism and male-oriented workplace culture. It also outlines how to recognise the signs an employee may be experiencing sexual harassment, such as changes to the work performances or changes in behaviour. The guidance also includes ways to start a conversations and steps to take when responding to a disclosure.

For more information, you can visit the Equally Safe at Work website.

We have also developed a self-assessment tool for SMEs on sexual harassment. More information about the tool and the supporting guidance can be found here.

Register for the online launch of Close the Gap’s new guidance on taking an anti-racist approach to tackling gender inequality at work

Join Close the Gap for the launch of our new guidance on taking an anti-racist approach to tackling gender inequality at work.

This event is for managers and senior leaders, HR practitioners, and business owners who want to make sure their organisation is working to proactively identify and tackle racism and gender inequality in the workplace.

The event will include information and guidance on:

• racism and sexism in the workplace
• the barriers faced by racially minoritised women
• how to take an anti-racist approach to tackling gender inequality in your organisation

The keynote address will be given by Richard Lochhead, Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work.

There will also be a panel discussion including experts on anti-racist practice and gender inequality at work.

AGENDA:

10.00: Welcome and introductions

Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director, Close the Gap

10.10: Keynote address

Richard Lochhead, Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work

10:25 Presentation on new guidance for employers on taking an anti-racist approach to tackling women's workplace inequality

Lindsey Millen, Policy and Development Manager, Close the Gap

10:45 Panel session and Q&A

Chair: Gillian Neish, Principal Consultant, Neish Training

Mariam Ahmed, CEO, Amina

Aarti Joshi, Radio and Podcast Presenter

Sharan Virdee, Equality & Diversity Partner, Heriot-Watt University

11.25: Closing remarks

Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director, Close the Gap

11:30 Close

Employers have the ability to take meaningful action and create change for women in their organisation and in the communities they operate in. They also have a responsibility to do so.

Register today and join us on Zoom on Thursday 1^st December from 10-11.30am to learn how you can build anti-racist leadership on gender equality and drive change.

How to help prevent sexual harassment in the workplace?

Sexual harassment is an endemic problem in our society. In the past decade, the global "#MeToo" movement has helped to raise awareness of its prevalence, helping it to become a high-profile issue.

Sexual harassment can happen virtually anywhere, and it often happens at work. We need to see real, substantive action to tackle it, and we have developed a suite of resources for employers to help them create the change. They are designed for SMEs, but all employers can benefit from using them in therir organisation.

The resources include a self-assessment questionnaire that provides tailored feedback and actions for employers to take away and implement in their workplace. This is supported by step-by-step guidance on:

• how to develop a workplace policy on sexual harassment,
• how to deal with reports, and
• how to fix workplace culture issues that enable sexual harassment to happen.

We’ve also created informational guides to help employers understand what sexual harassment is and how it happens, because this is the first step to getting it right.

Our guides include information on:

• how to deal with reports and investigations of sexual harassment
• how to create your own workplace policy
• creating a workplace culture that helps prevent sexual harassment

What do employers need to know about sexual harassment?

The term ‘sexual harassment’ covers a spectrum of behaviours which range from subtle and insidious to overt and physically violent. Sexual harassment makes women feel small, undermined, threatened, assaulted and powerless. Black and racialised women, disabled woman, young woman and those in insecure work are at greater risk. All forms of sexual harassment undermine women's safety at work and in their lives.

Sexual harassment isn’t just an issue between two people. It’s also a wider problem related to gender inequality and sexism in the workplace. Sexual harassment, and male-oriented workplace cultures that don’t feel inclusive to women, contribute to the gender pay gap and women’s inequality at work.

Sexual harassment is a gendered issue.

The vast majority of people who experience sexual harassment are women, and the vast majority of perpetrators are men. Research also shows that where men are sexually harassed, the perpetrator is most likely to be another man. This has to be acknowledged, because we can’t fix the problem if we can’t name it.

Gender inequality is the root cause of sexual harassment. Women still have less power and status than men in the workplace, and it’s this that creates an environment in which sexualised comments are dismissed as ‘just banter’, in which women are told ‘it wasn’t meant that way’, and in which women aren’t believed. This power imbalance is even more acute for Black and racialised women, LGBT women, disabled women and young women. It is also why male harassers are rarely held accountable.

Sexual harassment in the workplace.

Most employers care about employee wellbeing. They take steps to make sure workplaces are safe and welcoming. But there can be a blind spot when it comes to sexual harassment. It can feel uncomfortable to talk about workplace sexual harassment, and this enables it to keep happening.

It can be easy for an employer to think that sexual harassment doesn’t happen in their business. They may never have had an employee report sexual harassment. However, an absence of reports doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, or won’t.

Sexual harassment is routinely under-reported. A survey found that 80% of victim-survivors didn’t report unwanted sexual behaviour to their employer. There's a wide range of reasons why women don't report. They think there's no point because nothing will change, they think that they won't be belived, and they worry that they'll be blamed or ostracised

These aren’t just imagined scenarios, these are real-life examples of women’s experiences of reporting. Women who have been sexually harassed at work see these things happening to other women, and the cycle of under-reporting continues.

Sexual harassment can have serious professional, financial, and psychological impacts. The impact of sexual harassment on employees includes:

• Feelings of embarrassment, shame and humiliation;
• Avoiding certain work situations like meetings, or particular shifts;
• Feeling less confident at work;
• Taking time off sick to avoid a harasser; and
• Leaving a role or job.

This sees women losing out in their careers and businesses losing key people. Women often leave organisations where sexual harassment is common and goes unaddressed.

Sexual harassment also has a negative effect on colleagues and the wider business. Where sexist jokes and comments are tolerated this creates a conducive context for more serious cases of sexual violence including rape or sexual assault, damage to the business’s reputation, the loss of good employees, and a toxic work environment.

It’s clear that sexual harassment has serious bottom line consequences. The negative impact on staff morale and productivity undermines business effectiveness. There can be extra costs arising from administrative difficulties from unplanned time off, lost wages and sick pay.Businesses also face wider financial and reputational risks if they fail to deal with sexual harassment.

What do employers need to do?

Employers have a key role to play in tackling and preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. It makes good business sense – and it’s the right thing to do – to support employees who have experienced sexual harassment. Employers also have a legal duty to address and prevent sexual harassment in their organisation.

The way you deal with sexual harassment at work sends a strong signal to your employees, and your current and prospective clients, how seriously you take it. If you take visible and proactive steps to tackle and prevent sexual harassment it lets your people know that you do take it seriously. This builds trust in your employees to report sexual harassment if it happens, lets everyone know that it has no place in your workplace, and creates a safe and inclusive workplace culture that will help prevent it from happening in the first place.

Our Think Business Think Equality resources can help employers meet their legal duty, deal with sexual harassment if it happens, and create a workplace that prevents it from happening in the first place.

You can find our resources here:

• What you need to know about sexual harassment
• How to: develop a sexual harassment policy
• How to: deal with reports of sexual harassment
• How to: create a culture that prevents sexual harassment

You can also watch our webinar for employers on tackling workplace sexual harassment here.

Think Business, Think Equality also includes resources on key aspects of employment practice including flexible working, workplace culture, pay and reward, progression and promotion, pregnancy and maternity, job segregation and domestic abuse.

Find out more about how your business can benefit from gender equality and diversity at www.thinkbusinessthinkequality.org.uk.

New employer resource on creating a menopause-aware workplace.

Menopause is a normal and natural part of women’s lives, but there’s still widespread discomfort around talking about menopause, particularly in the workplace. Many women don’t feel comfortable talking about it because of the stigma and stereotypes of ‘menopausal women’. When managers and colleagues avoid the subject, and senior leaders don’t see it as a workplace issue, it makes it even harder for women to get the support they need.

Menopause and the workplace

The symptoms of menopause can have a real and detrimental impact on women in the workplace. Insomnia and sleep disturbance can make it hard for an employee to concentrate or do their job effectively, hot flushes cause discomfort, and heavy and unpredictable bleeding causes significant distress and embarrassment when it happens in the workplace. These are just some of the symptoms and their impacts.

This is a workplace issue, with 25% of women likely to experience difficulties associated with menopausal symptoms at work. Workplaces that don’t recognise the impact of menopause on employees can make things even harder. Women who have to take sick leave because of their symptoms can find themselves penalised by absence management processes. When an employee isn’t allowed to take regular breaks, or cannot access washroom facilities easily, they will find it more difficult to deal with heavy bleeds. Line managers who are hesitant about flexible working may refuse a request that could have made it easier for an employee to manage their symptoms. And, line managers who want to help may not know what support they are able to offer in their organisation.

Without support, employees experiencing menopause may feel compelled to reduce their hours or responsibilities, or even leave their job altogether. This sees organisations lose those skills, and results in increased recruitment and training costs to replace them. Where workplace support isn’t available, this sends a message to women that they aren’t valued, or that their wellbeing isn’t taken seriously. This creates a workplace culture which doesn’t feel inclusive to women.

What employers can do?

Menopause is a legitimate reason to need support in the workplace, and employers have a key role to play in ensuring women can access the support they need. By making small adjustments to workplace policy and practice, employers can make a real difference to the lives of employees who are experiencing menopause.

Our latest employer briefing can help you take action. It sets out four key areas that contribute to creating a menopause-aware workplace. These are:

1. Awareness
2. Support
3. Policy
4. Implementation

Increasing awareness of menopause and how it impacts women in the workplace is key to ensuring women are able to access the support they need. This includes building understanding among employees more generally, alongside targeted information for key people who will be providing support in the workplace, e.g. line managers and HR advisers.

Employers can create a tailored package of support measures that women experiencing menopause are able to access in their workplace. This can include menopause-sensitive absence management processes, access to free period products including specific products for heavy flow, regular breaks, and simple adjustments like providing a desk fan or moving an employee’s working location to a cooler spot.

Having a specific policy on menopause will help encourage women to ask for support and provide key people with the information they need to provide it. Line managers have a particularly important role - the ‘supervisor effect’ has a big influence on women’s experience of work, how comfortable they feel asking for support, and what support they get. Employers need to make sure line managers are confident in providing support and know what’s expected of them.

You can find more information on each of these key areas in our new briefing, including a list of good practice support measures, information on what a workplace menopause policy should include, and links to further information and support. You can find a wide range of information on the menopause, its symptoms and their impacts at NHSinform.scot. The Menopause Information Pack for Organisations also has a range of detailed resources that can help your organisation ensure action is implemented effectively.

Menopause and the Workplace Webinar

We hosted a webinar on menopause and the workplace in partnership with the Scottish Government, to provide help and support so that women can work comfortably with menopause. Speakers included Professor Kathleen Riach, Professor in Organisational Studies, University of Glasgow, who shared her expertise on menopause and the workplace, and Gillian Longmire from Blue Triangle, on practical actions employers can take. You can access the recording of the webinar below:

Click here to watch our webinar

Gender inequality in the workplace is a significant contributor to the difficulties women face when experiencing menopause in the workplace. Many of the issues described here, such as how stigma and stereotypes create workplace cultures that don’t feel inclusive, are the result of women’s workplace inequality.

Creating menopause-aware workplaces will help employers to advance gender equality in their wider workplace, including helping close their gender pay gap. That’s good for women, good for employers, and good for Scotland’s economy. Download our employer resource today.