Sexual harassment: How to avoid working for organisations that unconsciously endorse it.

I’m writing this article in the hope it may help others. Help them avoid the very recent and real experience of someone in my network subjected to 4 years of sexual harassment and bullying. Sexual harassment and bullying which went unchecked, unchallenged and unsupported on reporting by her company impacting her work life, personal life, mental and physical health. Ultimately giving her no option but to leave a role she had worked incredibly hard to obtain and excel at…

Writing this opinion piece is important to me as I’ve heard this story so many times before – I want to raise awareness by highlighting a few facts, sharing advice that may help someone avoid this experience and perhaps, giving someone the courage to seek advice and support.

The unfortunate truth

Sexual harassment, bullying, toxic workplace culture, pregnancy discrimination, the ‘motherhood penalty’, pay inequality are all experiences women hope to not encounter in their careers – It’s unfortunate then that these experiences are prevalent in our organisations today. ‘But not mine’ I hear you say? Yes… It’s happening in yours (Somewhere, and to some extent.) 

52% of women have been victims of unwanted sexual behaviours at work, from groping to inappropriate jokes. 

It persists for a host of complex reasons and is compounded by, in my opinion, a lack of appetite from organisational leadership to pro-actively (or even re-actively) understand and address – they remain blind to the issue. Which is unsurprising really… Consciously done or not, it’s much less effort for the organisation to ‘lose’ members of female staff, than to reform the hostile culture which is driving them out. 

So what can women do to accelerate positive change?

We need to work together to deny these organisations our skills, experience and knowledge. Simply, women can choose to not work for organisations that do not provide a safe, supportive and inclusive working environment.

To do this, we first must recognise that these challenges exist for women – and therefore, if you are a woman these are challenges that exist for you. And you do not have the luxury of not considering them every time you consider changing role, taking a promotion or moving companies.

We must equip ourselves with the knowledge to make an informed decision about whether an organisation can provide the working environment which enables female talent to flourish. Here are my top 3 pieces of advice before considering a move, in order of increasing effort:

1. Look at the make-up of the senior leadership team

This is a super quick check which I believe reveals a whole lot about an organisation. Culture is driven from the top and the results are in the make-up of the senior leadership team.

Predominantly middle-aged white men? The proof is in the pudding. You’re likely joining an organisation that has cultivated policies, working practices and behaviours that more likely set your dad up for career success!

I’d be asking myself ‘If this company is such a great place for me to work, why are there no women in senior roles?’ 

2. Evaluate their efforts toward creating a diverse and inclusive workplace (BUT don’t solely rely on a D&I award or inclusion on a ‘Employer of choice for Women’ list!)

I’ve generally observed that companies who decorate themselves with D&I awards and pursue recognition on industry lists fall into 2 distinctly different categories.

A good place to work for women. Companies which genuinely care about cultivating a diverse workforce, they’re successful at it and they rightly want to shout about it!

A very bad place to work for women. Companies which lack a diverse workforce and are coming under pressure from customers, regulators or investors to change. Consequently, they pursue superficial fixes such as establishing an internal women’s group, employing a D&I manager and pumping resources into external marketing material to attract a more diverse workforce.

Unfortunately, the superficial nature of the effort is particularly dangerous in my view. It draws women into organisations which have entrenched, outdated, male-oriented workplace culture - especially damaging to early career women who are inexperienced enough to accept this as the norm.

3. Talk to women who have worked at the company/in the team/for the manager before…

Use friends, colleagues or acquaintances to access individuals that can provide valuable insights into the prospective company, team and hiring manager. The more conversations you can have the better, particularly for larger organisations where there is more likely to be silo-ed working practices.

I particularly value the endorsement of an ex female employee of the company, team or manager I’m considering that I know well, either personally or professionally.  

If you’re struggling to have these conversations consider joining a Professional Network such as the Women’s Infrastructure Network. A network provides access to both online forums and in person events which gives you the opportunity to benefit from the collective experience of the women in the group.

The future

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing sexual harassment at work please contact Acas to understand how you can improve your situation or help someone else.

Sexual harassment is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature – It can happen to men, women and people of any gender or sexual orientation.

It can be carried out by anyone of the same sex, opposite sex or anyone of any gender identity.

The person in my network who inspired this article is currently considering making a claim to an employment tribunal regarding her ex-employer. I cannot help but think, irrelevant of the outcome, that she and everyone else in her situation have already lost – Let’s work together and help each other avoid working for organisations that unconsciously endorse sexual harassment in the workplace.

I’ve shared my best advice, what's yours…?

Thanks for reading!

#MeToo #Diversity #Inclusion #SexualHarassment #WomensInfrastructureNetwork #Infrastructure #EmployersForWomen #GenderEquality #DiversityAndInclusion #WomenInScience #WomenInEngineering #WomenInStem #WomenInLeadership 

**************************************************************************Since launching in the UK in 2011, the Women's Infrastructure Network has been growing the visibility of women in the infrastructure sector. It provides a networking and support group for women, and currently has over 1400 members. Interested in joining the network, subscribe to our mailing list here.