Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath’s Private Members’ Bill will help prevent workplace sexual harassment after new data reveals its shocking extent

21 October 2022

In data revealed by the Liberal Democrats, provided by the House of Commons Library, the shocking extent to which sexual harrassment takes places in the workplace is laid bare. 20% of the UK workforce, 10.6 million people, have experienced at least one form of workplace sexual harassement in the last 12 months.

The data, scaled up to represent the overall population from the Government Equalities Office Survey, also outlined the unacceptable levels of abuse experienced by employees from customers as well as their colleagues. 14% of victims were harassed by a third party (a customer, client, patient, student, etc.) equating to 1.5 million people every year. There is currently no legal protection against this kind of abuse.

Despite the massive scale of the problem, most of these incidents go unreported. 79% of women do not report their experience of workplace sexual harassment. Clearly, the current system is not working.

The law as it stands on workplace sexual harassment can only be enforced by individual women raising cases - there is no preventative duty on employers to ensure their workplaces are safe. Even if the person affected raises their case, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (ECHR) found in nearly half of cases where employees made a report, the employer took no action, minimised the incident or placed the responsibility on the employee.

Wera Hobhouse MP’s Private Members’ Bill’s Second Reading on the 21st October is set to be a part of the fix to these long-running issues. The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill will make employers liable for their employees experiencing harassment committed by a third party unless they have taken reasonable steps to prevent it. It also ensures there is a preventative duty for employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in their organisation. This shifts the responsibility from the individual to the institution which should result in more incidents being reported and investigated properly and the beginning of the end of the culture of sexual harassement in the workplace.

Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, commented:

“For too long women have been unsafe in the workplace and for too long workplace sexual harassment has been underreported. These figures lay bare the size of the problem that workers face. 20% of the UK population has experienced some form of sexual harassment in the workplace – that’s over 10 million people - with 1.5 million people being harassed by a third party - a client, customer, or other person. What’s more, we know this figure is even higher for women. Research from the Fawcett Society shows that at least 40% of women have experienced workplace sexual harassment. These figures are shocking. Things must change.

“This Bill is an important step to making workplaces safer by giving everyone greater protections. Employers will have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to stop sexual harassment from happening in the first place. The Bill also fixes gaps in our current laws by making employers liable for third party harassment.

“The Bill would be a monumental moment for women’s rights in the workplace. Under current laws, victims are left unprotected. A standalone preventative duty shifts the responsibility from individuals to the institution. It will prevent harassment and protect victims, and drive the change in culture that is so desperately needed. I hope the Government will support my Bill and give women the protection they deserve.”

Jemima Olchawski, Chief Executive – Fawcett Society, commented:

“So many women have bravely come forward with their stories, exposing the terrible things they’ve been subjected to and the inadequate responses of their employers. This is a systemic issue; at least 40% of women experience workplace sexual harassment and it’s even higher for Black and minoritised women, disabled women and LGBTQ+ workers. This Bill, which we’ve been proud to support, will change that. It is a vital step forward in ending the pervasive issue of workplace sexual harassment - ensuring employers are held accountable for creating safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces."