Randstad’s recent “Gender Equality in the Workplace 2022” Survey interviewed 6,000 working adults in May 2022 from the construction, education, healthcare and technology sectors.
It found that 32% of woman say their careers have been affected by Sexual Harassment and 72% of woman had either encountered or witnessed inappropriate behaviour from male colleagues at work.
As a woman in the workplace, these figures are concerning. Despite positive changes for woman in the workplace (40% of Directors on top board in the UK are woman, compared with 12% in 2010[1]), it would appear that a significant problem has not been dealt with.
Some of the comments specifically cited by woman in the survey with regard to discrimination are “men taking over tasks because they believed themselves to be more suitable”, “inappropriate nicknames”, “having negative comments passed off as banter”, “being asked to perform tasks that fell under the remit of male juniors” and, “direct discrimination from a manager who said “women shouldn’t work in construction””.
I am lucky enough to have not encountered or witnessed inappropriate behaviour from male colleagues at work, and it is rare that being in a minority is considered a good thing. I also consider that I have a good work-life balance, yet 60% of the women surveyed cited work-life balance as having a notable impact on their careers.
I appreciate I work in a different sector than those surveyed by Randstad, but having reviewed the enquires we receive from potential client’s, it is clear that sexual harassment and discrimination towards women is prevalent in all work sectors.
Having a Harassment and Discrimination Policy is clearly not enough to prevent women being subjected to inappropriate or discriminatory behaviour in the workplace; it is time employers start to make real changes to ensure equality.
If you feel you are being harassed or discriminated against in the workplace then keep a detailed log including dates and times, and notify a relevant member of staff, whether that be your Manager, HR or the Senior Management Team; make it clear that if the behaviour continues then it is likely to cause you psychological harm.
Further reading
Workplace discrimination, harassment and bullying – Oakwood Solicitors
[1] “Gender Equality in the Workplace 2022”
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.
Randstad’s recent “Gender Equality in the Workplace 2022” Survey interviewed 6,000 working adults in May 2022 from the construction, education, healthcare and technology sectors. It found that 32% of woman say their careers have been affected by Sexual Harassment and 72% of woman had either encountered or witnessed inappropriate behaviour from male colleagues at…
Destressing after a long day at work
Had a long day at work and you don’t know how to destress from it? Managing workplace stress can be difficult sometimes on many different levels.
People may find it hard to wind …
View
How Do I Break The Stress Cycle?
Stress is a major factor in modern daily life, both at work and at home. A measure of stress is necessary to motivate us to meet our goals, but what to do if the stress cycle…
View
How to Handle the Stress of Working From Home – 9 Suggested Solutions
I’m sure that most employees would say that having the flexibility to work from home helps relieve the stressors and pressures of their job but that being required to work from home continuously…
View
