3. Changing the workplace culture

While there has been a massive amount of media coverage of sexual harassment recently, considerable action is required to achieve a permanent shift in behaviour.

The principal aim of dealing with sexual harassment at work is to eradicate it from the workplace. It is not enough to just deal with the consequences of harassment because this puts all the focus on dealing with individuals rather than concentrating on the culture that has allowed the behaviour to occur in the first place.

The TUC report Still just a bit of banter? notes that many respondents to its research experienced workplace cultures that allowed sexual harassment to go unchecked, with management failing to respond to complaints effectively or sympathetically. It recommends that employers adopt a top-down approach, working with all employees and managers, and working in partnership with unions.

The report also calls on employers to “ensure that everyone working within their organisations can use grievance procedures to raise concerns about discrimination and harassment at work, including those on zero hours or casual contracts, agency workers and contractors who may be employed by another organisation”.