Breaking Silence, Forging Change: My Journey Through Workplace Harassment

Step into my shoes and let me take you on a journey through decades of navigating the treacherous waters of workplace harassment. It began innocently enough, or so I thought, back in the 1970s when I was just a child, cursed with developing early. At the tender age of nine, I found myself subjected to comments, unwanted attention, and relentless bullying – all because of my developing body.

Fast forward to the 1980s, and I stepped into the workforce at a majority male printing company. The comments became more sexual, more invasive. This was the era of Page 3 girls and nude calendars, and I found myself drowning in a sea of objectification. But in a male-dominated environment with no harassment policy in sight, I felt powerless to challenge the status quo.

I then joined the police in the early 1990s – a masculine environment if there ever was one. As one of the few female officers on a shift, my breasts were always the subject of conversation, even among my female colleagues. Social events became minefields of discomfort, where standing up for myself earned me labels like ‘angry’ or ‘aggressive.’

And oh, the male Inspector’s first words to me – “You’re not going to be one of these WPC’s who goes off and gets pregnant, are you?” As if my worth as a woman and an officer were reduced to my reproductive choices. And when I became a detective, the objectification only intensified, culminating in a certificate that reduced me to nothing more than body parts.

For years, I laughed off the comments, buried my discomfort, and played along with the jokes. I felt trapped in a culture where speaking out meant the risk of being ostracised and retaliation. But as I matured, I found the courage to challenge the status quo, to push back against the tide of misogyny and sexism that pervaded my workplace.

At the end of my career, working in Professional Standards, I witnessed the persistence of harassment, both from male and female colleagues. And while progress seemed to be on the horizon, the pace was agonisingly slow. Social media only served to amplify the toxic culture, providing a platform for predators and bigots to thrive.

But I refused to remain a bystander. Drawing from my own experiences, I embarked on a new path as a workplace investigator, determined to ensure that no one else would suffer in silence. My mission: to support those facing harassment, to ensure that employers understand their duty to protect their staff, and to educate all on the impact of their actions.

Together, we can break the silence, forge change, and create workplaces where everyone feels valued, respected, and safe. It won’t be easy, but it’s a journey worth taking – for ourselves, for our colleagues, and for future generations.

The way forward

Harassment is a very complex topic, it is defined as behaviour which has caused the victim to feel upset, distressed or threatened. Sexual harassment means unwanted conduct of a sexual nature.

Research has shown that around half of victims chose not to report sexually inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. The #MeToo movement revealed the shocking truth about sexual harassment in the workplace and since that time, behaviour has changed for the better, or has it?

Most of us make the assumption that we understand what is and what is not acceptable behaviour, and that there is a movement towards ‘calling out’ and reporting such behaviour. However, according to the research, this clearly is not the case.

The Office for National Statistics bulletin (Dec 2023) reveals that more women (13%) than men (7%) experienced at least one form of harassment: this reflects the differential experiences of sexual harassment (experienced by 8% of women compared with 3% of men).

Around 26% of those who had experienced sexual harassment said that this had taken place at their workplace. 75% said that this happened in person, 21% experienced it online. Experiences are more prevalent among 16-24-year-olds (21%) having experienced at least one type of harassment in the previous 12 months.

Employers have a duty of care towards employees as set out in the Equality Act 2010 – ‘employees have a right to feel safe and free from harassment at work’. Businesses can be found vicariously liable for harassment that takes place in the course of employment. This has been strengthened further by the Worker Protection (Amendment of the Equality Act 2010) Act 2023.

This covers employees, contractors and job applicants. The unwanted behaviour must have violated someone’s dignity, whether intended or not and/or created an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment whether intended or not.

From October 2024, employers will need to comply with a new duty to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of employees. Under the Act, tribunals will have the power to increase compensation by up to 25% if an employer breaches this duty.

For employers to demonstrate that they have taken reasonable steps, they must ensure that they review their harassment policies and procedures. Regular training must be conducted along with dealing with any complaint of harassment promptly and effectively. Gone are the days where employers can say that they have a policy in place, they now must demonstrate that their policies and training is effective and that they are taking proactive action by conducting workplace reviews.

Regular reviews of workplace culture will improve inclusivity and ensure that areas for improvement are quickly identified. This can be achieved through audits of training, policies and reporting processes.

On receipt of a report of harassment, a prompt, independent and robust response is required in order to ensure that the behaviour stops and staff are appropriately supported.

How can we help?

When dealing with workplace harassment, prevention is better than cure. Engaging with your employees and raising awareness of the issue, ensures that staff understand what unacceptable behaviour is and ensuring effective reporting mechanisms are in place.

A workplace environment based on tolerance and free from hostility will enable people to contribute more effectively. We will ensure that policies and procedures are fit for purpose and compliant with legislation.

We provide an end-to-end service ensuring that employers are provided with advice and assistance. We will provide support to staff and managers to help build a workplace culture that is inclusive, fosters openness and transparency and promotes respect.

In the case of reports of sexual harassment, we will conduct a professional, confidential and independent investigation, providing a thorough report and highlight any individual or organisational learning along with recommendations. We will also assist with any disciplinary hearings or appeals.