Changing workplace culture to end sexual harassment

And the Employment Rights Bill will further strengthen protections against workplace sexual harassment. But with a recent Unite survey of its women members finding that sexual harassment remains endemic across sectors and workplaces in the UK, and with the worrying rise of misogyny and sexism, particularly amongst younger men and boys, practical implementation of the preventative duty is fundamental to tackling sexual harassment and the cultures that enable it. And trade unions must do everything they can to ensure that their members workplaces and their own structures are safe for everyone.  

Sexual harassment doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It's not about sex, it's about power. It’s about putting people, predominantly women in their so called ‘place’. And it often intersects with other forms of discrimination as highlighted by our research on disabled women’s experiences, Black women’s experiences, young workers experiences and LGBT+ workers experiences. It thrives because of cultures that enable it. Cultures that tolerate inappropriate ‘banter’, cultures that turn a blind eye or make excuses for bad behaviour, cultures that treat victim-survivors like they are the problem, not the perpetrator.  

That is why we fought for the preventative duty. Because the only way you can prevent sexual harassment is by being proactive and taking action to challenge the cultures that enable it. And the workplace is an integral part of tackling sexual harassment and violence against women and girls more broadly.  

Many people enter the world of work in their teens and spend many decades in the workplace. Workplace culture and work peers can have a profound effect not only people’s personal experiences but also on their own understanding of issues, attitudes and behaviours. We know this as trade unions. That’s why we organise, why we take collective action and why we offer solidarity.  

And everyone interacts with other people's workplaces, whether it's a school or GP surgery, a bar or restaurant, a shop, a call centre, a local theatre, sports stadium or a trade union.  

Challenging sexual harassment and the cultures that enable it in the workplace has the potential to not just make those workplaces safer for the people working there but can also have a ripple effect that can have a positive impact and challenge attitudes and behaviours across society more broadly.  

By ensuring employers take a risk-based approach, have safe reporting routes and transparent, fair processes for dealing with issues when they do happen, by ensuring everyone in the workplace has appropriate training and making sure this is an ongoing endeavour not a one-off tick box, and by making sure the preventative duty is part of our bargaining agenda and embedded within our own structures - trade unions can help to drive the culture change that is so desperately needed to tackle sexual harassment. 

Winning this game changing piece of legislation was a crucial first step, now we must ensure it has a real-world impact and make workplaces safer for everyone.  

The TUC resources on how to build preventative cultures can be found on our dedicated tackling and preventing sexual harassment webpage.