The sexual harassment epidemic tainting British business

Telegraph

2 days ago

When Amy got her first job as a bus driver at the age of 20, she wasn't prepared for how uncomfortable it would be to work in such a male-dominated industry.
'You think everyone is going to be like your dad. You don't realise that other people's dads are like this – it's mind-blowing,' she says, reflecting on the decade of workplace sexism she's faced at multiple bus depots.
'People say 'oh, it's just banter' – that's the biggest problem. Older men think it's a compliment if they make a sexual remark.'
Like many women, Amy*, says she doesn't want to 'ruffle any feathers' by complaining. After all, she knows many others who have had it far worse.
But she is exhausted by the constant jeers from the men she works closely with.
'In the summer when it's hot, I don't wear tights – there's usually a sexual remark from the men in the canteen when I go upstairs. They also make comments like 'you should be on the catwalk, not driving a bus'. They don't realise that it feels uncomfortable.'
An increasing number of women working at companies from City institutions to household names are coming forward with stories of harassment in the workplace.
Despite believing that we live in more enlightened times compared to the 1970s or 80s – when women were effectively treated as second-class citizens in the workplace – sexual harassment remains an epidemic tainting British business.
Male-dominated hierarchies
Amy almost counts herself lucky – other women she has spoken to have felt so unsafe at work that they have eventually quit.
Poppy*, who is in her 20s and works in the construction industry, recalls being repeatedly targeted and harassed by two senior men she used to work with. They would tell her that women belonged in the kitchen and would send inappropriate messages.
'I ended up separating from my fiancé because of the stress. It affected every part of my life,' she says. 'My hair is curly and one of the bosses didn't like curly hair, so he paid me to go and straighten it because he said I looked a mess.'
Poppy, who was also told early on in her career that having a child would ruin her future job prospects, believes that sexism is ingrained across corporate Britain.
While most cases go unreported, there have been several high-profile cases in recent months and no sector is immune – almost half the fashion retail employees surveyed by Drapers think sexual harassment is 'common'.
More women are also coming forward to recount tales of harassment at well-known British employers. The BBC is now facing questions over its knowledge of Gregg Wallace's behaviour after 50 more people came forward with allegations against him, months after hundreds of allegations of sexual misconduct emerged against ex-Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
Wallace has denied the sexual harassment allegations. Al Fayed died in 2023.
A government survey in 2020 found that 29pc of employees experienced some form of sexual harassment in their workplace in the previous year – but the real figures are thought to be far higher.
'Most UK businesses are still structured around male-dominated hierarchies,' says Poppy. 'Despite more inclusive policies, culture often reflects outdated gender norms – there is still an old boys' club power structure.'
These are not stories from generations gone by. Despite widespread efforts to crack down on sexual harassment at work and hire more senior women into top jobs, UK plc continues to have a problem.
'I don't think it's improved in the last decade – maybe more women have the confidence to report it, but the sexist comments from men aren't slowing down,' adds Amy.
Rise of the 'bad apples'
Internal training documents show that senior City staff are being taught the very basics when it comes to behaviour.
'Do not sexually harass a colleague,' reads a presentation for a top law firm, adding that unwanted behaviour includes 'grabbing, groping, kissing, fondling or brushing against another's body'.
It also urges lawyers to avoid 'leering' at co-workers and to steer clear of 'unwelcome massaging'.
Such training sessions have spiked as managers increasingly fear legal action from potential victims. Data from online learning provider iHasco shows that sign-up rates to their sexual harassment courses have shot up 862pc in just a year, in part because of a new law which forces employers to do more to prevent sexual harassment at work or at work events.
In some organisations, staff now need official permission to drink alcohol at client parties.
Yet attitudes aren't shifting. A poll by trade union Unite found that 34pc of women still do not believe that there is a zero-tolerance approach to bad behaviour at work, with one in four suffering work-related sexual assault.
Alarmingly, over a quarter of the women polled said they have been shown porn at work by their co-workers.
Some think sexism has become worse in recent years.
One HR chief, who did not want to be named, thinks there has been a 're-emergence of unpalatable characters', particularly since the rollback of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programmes under Donald Trump, who ordered a ban on the policies.
The effects are being felt in the UK, with some leaders even overheard boasting about how they can say whatever they want now, the person adds.
Businesses, regulators and the government are now scrambling to do more to stamp out toxic behaviour amid rising concerns for women in the workplace.
The Financial Conduct Authority, the City watchdog, has expanded rules around harassment and bullying in order to stop 'rolling bad apples' who abuse colleagues in one job from job-hopping undetected.
Last year Parliament's influential Treasury select committee raised concerns that women in finance were afraid to speak out about abuses in the workplace because of perceptions that the City is a 'man's world,' with MPs accusing HR departments of protecting sexist bosses.
The Government also wants to ban bosses from covering up sex scandals by outlawing the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in the workplace to silence victims.
In 2018, The Telegraph was prevented from revealing allegations against Sir Philip Green, the former Topshop owner, after five ex-employees signed an NDA.
The change will be provisionally written into Labour's incoming Employment Rights Bill, which will return to the House of Lords this week.
Yet despite the raft of changes, recruitment bosses and victims aren't so sure that behaviour will change any time soon. Most stories of harassment at work are never discussed, so abuse goes unnoticed under the surface.
'Cultural change is a slow process. The legacy of patriarchal structures is still based on leaders who aren't primary caregivers or take parental leave, and these systems are historically not designed to address inequality,' says Amanda Rajkumar, Adidas' former global head of human resources.
'There remains a fear of speaking up because it is neither recognised nor rewarded. Whilst there is increased support and emphasis on robust and independent grievances and investigations, many cases go unreported, with women feeling undervalued and disrespected.
'There are many women with genuine instances of sexism, from pay issues to inappropriate senior management behaviour. Still, more often than not, they decide not to pursue a formal route, as they know it will damage their career. This is one of the reasons women leave companies.'