A new report by CareerWallet has revealed that one in four women (24%) are still experiencing inappropriate comments in the workplace or remotely via zoom and email from managers and colleagues.
Only 10 percent of men said they have issues with similar comments meaning more than double the number of women are subjected to this.
However, the survey showed that nearly twice as many men (10%) as women (6%) are experiencing homophobic behaviour and comments from colleagues or managers.
These toxic behaviours are not just happening in the office with many hybrid workers admitting to receiving comments on zoom calls or over email.
Sexual harassment at work is rife
More concerningly nearly one in 10 women (8%) surveyed admitted having experienced sexual harassment work and 28 percent of all women surveyed said they have experienced bullying from colleagues or direct line managers.
The extensive workplace survey gives a stark warning to employers across the UK as millions of workers are not only unhappy in their current roles but even worse are being subjected to aggressive, sexist and homophobic behaviour often from line managers.
As firms struggle to recruit and keep the best talent due to mass skill shortages across many sectors, employers must offer positive and healthy environments for their staff to maximise staff retention rates.
Craig Bines, CEO at The CareerWallet Group, comments on inappropriate comments:
“Our new workplace survey highlights how many employees are not only unhappy in their workplace but also being subjected to extremely toxic behaviour from line managers and colleagues.
It is hugely upsetting to hear so many women being subjected to inappropriate and sexist comments from colleagues and managers, especially in the modern workplace. Clearly, many employers across the UK need to address their work environments and consider how staff are being impacted through hybrid working.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
