Today it can be revealed more than a quarter of women have been victims of harassment at work with a shocking one in six being subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour, new statistics reveal.
Disturbing new research from WalkSafe, the UK’s leading personal safety app, shows 27% of women – and 16% of men – have faced workplace harassment in the last five years – highlighting a worrying epidemic of threatening workplace behaviour.
Alarmingly, one in seven women (14%) faced sexual harassment while 16 per cent of all workers have even considered leaving their jobs due to their workplace ordeals.
More than half of employees (51 per cent) felt companies needed to do more to help employers feel safer at work – with four fifths (82%) saying they would find the ability to report crime or community issues around their workplace to protect them vital.
Today WalkSafe is launching WalkSafe Pro Prevent – an anonymous reporting tool on the app – which allows businesses to give employees the chance to report sexual harassment or bullying at the touch of a button without fear of reprisal. The proactive protection for employees whilst commuting, during after work drinks or at workplace events through their suite of reporting tools. It enables businesses to comply with the Worker Protection Act via its early warning system that provides actionable insights through app surveys and reporting tools. Turning compliance into a genuine staff benefit – improving wellbeing, safety and security efficiency.
In fact, one in six workers (16%) said they even considered leaving their job due to harassment at work.
The findings revealed half of workers (51%) would feel safer with an anonymous reporting system at work and more than eight in ten (84%) would welcome a safety app to make them feel safer to report unwanted harassment – with that rising to 89% among employees under the age of 34-years-old.
“This new research just shows that harassment in the workplace, especially for women, is at alarmingly high levels and must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Workers have a right to feel they can report harassment easily and without fear or judgement.
“Sadly, that is not the case for everyone. However, employers can do more to change that.
“WalkSafe Pro gives HR managers and companies an early warning of developing harassment issues at work so they can deal with them before they escalate into formal complaints, avoiding negative PR and lawsuits.”
“WalkSafe Pro Prevent helps companies comply with the recent Workers Protection Legislation, and is a valuable benefit for employees, building a strong company culture with a reputation for prioritising wellbeing and employee safety.”
A fifth of UK workers (21%) report having been harassed at work, rising to over a quarter (27%) of women. Shockingly, one in ten (11%) also report being sexually harassed at work, rising to nearly one in seven (14%) of women. A higher 25% of UK workers say they have suffered some type of inappropriate behaviour at work, once again higher among women (29%). In fact, one in five (21%) have had a workplace concern that involved inappropriate behaviour of someone within the team, once again highest among women (24%).
Over one in ten (13%), have wanted to alert a manager to the fact they have been harassed, but not have bothered. More shockingly, one in ten (9%) didn’t report sexual harassment at work because they didn’t think they would believe them or care. Perhaps this is why over half (51%) of UK workers would like an anonymous reporting system so they could alert the business to unwanted behaviour, and 54% would be more likely to report inappropriate behaviour in the workplace if they could do it anonymously. Over one in ten (13%) have left a job in the past because of inappropriate behaviour from a colleague at that job. For one in ten (10%) this form of harassment was from a more senior colleague, and 11% it was from a fellow worker.
Over four fifths (84%) of workers would find an app that would give the ability to anonymously share a concern on inappropriate behaviour in the workplace valuable, with two fifths (38%) finding this very valuable. Similarly, an app that provides advice for safely commuting to and from work would be valuable to 79%, and very valuable for over a quarter (27%). Over four fifths (82%) would find an app that has quick five-minute surveys so users can give feedback on the company and how to improve its safety policies valuable, while three quarters (77%) would find an app providing the user the ability to share their commute with companies security control room valuable, 26% finding this very valuable.
Workers reveal they would prefer a strong and detailed safety and wellbeing benefit over other perks. 55% of workers (and 62% of Gen Z workers) would prefer a safety benefit to company newsletters, more than half of women (51%) would prefer a safety benefit to free after work drinks, and 59% of those aged 18-34 would prefer a safety benefit to free coffee.
Similarly, the ability to share their estimated time of arrival with companies security control rooms, would be valuable to 76%. Over four fifths (82%) would find the ability to report crime or community issues around their workplace to improve safety valuable, including nearly two fifths (37%) very valuable.
WalkSafe Pro Prevent is the latest offering by the UK’s leading personal safety app WalkSafe. Prevent provides employees with the ability to report inappropriate behaviour either anonymously or named without friction or fear within the workplace.
This innovative tool enables businesses to comply with the Worker Protection Act via its early warning system that provides actionable insights through app surveys and reporting tools. Turning compliance into a genuine staff benefit – improving wellbeing, safety and security efficiency.
Employees feel empowered knowing they can share experiences without fear of it impacting their job, whilst providing businesses with a proactive early warning tool which identifies issues early on so they can act on complaints without negative pr or lawsuits.
For more information contact Ben Griffiths at ben@firststorymedia.co.uk or call 07920825100
