Two-thirds of young British women experience workplace harassment: Survey

Two-thirds of young women in Britain have encountered workplace harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying, or verbal abuse, a survey released on Friday (12) revealed.

However, the majority of these victims choose not to report such incidents due to concerns of not being believed, damaging work relationships, or negatively impacting their career prospects.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC), a labour organization in the UK, disclosed these findings as part of a campaign urging the government to uphold recently proposed laws intended to safeguard workers against assault and harassment.

In its poll of 1,000 women, the TUC said that three out of every five reported such incidents at work, but that climbed to two thirds among those aged between 25 and 34 years.

Most cases occurred on work premises but also happened via phone, text messages and emails, and via social media or virtual meetings.

And rather than being isolated incidents they were often repeated, the survey found.

The TUC says the new law protecting workers is being sabotaged by some lawmakers from the governing Conservative party.

“Every woman should be safe from sexual harassment but every day we hear stories about the extent of sexual harassment in our workplaces,” said TUC general secretary Paul Nowak.

“We know many women in public-facing jobs — like retail workers and GP receptionists — suffer regular abuse from customers and patients.

“Sexual harassment and bullying have no place in modern workplaces.”

Fewer than one in every three women who experienced sexual harassment had informed their employer, the survey found.

(AFP)