LGBT+ — Sexual Harassment at Work

Today marks the 15th International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) and this year the focus is on justice and protection for all. Fitting that the TUC has chosen today to launch the first major study of its kind, looking into the levels of sexual harassment against LGBT+ people at work in the UK.

The report highlights that nearly 7 in 10 LGBT+ people have been sexually harassed at work and builds on another recent report into third party harassment at work. The results show shocking levels of abuse and harassment that workers face whilst carrying out their day-to-day duties. The TUC is calling for better protections.

No one should have to put up with harassment, abuse or violence, especially at work. Accord has campaigned on this issue for many years and you may have one of our posters up in your workplace (if not why not download, print and display it).

The Findings:

• More than two in five (42%) LGBT+ people who responded to the survey said colleagues made unwelcome comments or asked unwelcome questions about their sex life.
• More than a quarter (27%) reported receiving unwelcome verbal sexual advances.
• Two-thirds (66%) said they didn’t tell their employer about the harassment, and quarter of those said they didn’t report it because they were afraid of being ‘outed’ at work.
• 1 in 5 LGBT+ women who have worked in the last 5 years, report that they have been sexually assaulted at work.
• In response, the TUC is calling for a new duty on employers to properly protect their staff from sexual harassment at work.

The Impact:

Our experiences have a big impact on our lives — Around 1 in 6 (16%) LGBT+ people told the TUC that sexual harassment at work affected their mental health. A similar proportion (16%) told the TUC that they had left their job as a result of being sexually harassed — and for 1 in 25, they described the experience as so unbearable that it caused them to leave their job even though they didn’t have another lined up.

Frances O’Grady (TUC General Secretary) says:

This research reveals a hidden epidemic.

In 2019, LGBT people should be safe and supported at work. But instead they’re experiencing shockingly high levels of sexual harassment and assault.

Workplace culture needs to change. No one should think that a colleague being LGBT is an invitation for sexualised comments or inappropriate questions — let alone serious acts of assault.

Government must change the law to put the responsibility for preventing harassment on employers, not victims. And anyone worried about sexual harassment at work should join a union.

The union has a job too…

The presence of a union in a workplace doesn’t just mean that workers get better terms and conditions — it means that we can negotiate better policies and support for members.

We’re in constant dialogue with employers and are helping to shape policies and procedures. Within Lloyds Banking Group, we’re working with the Behavioural Experiments team on better ways of colleagues raising the alarm and speaking out.

Accord continues to campaign for fair treatment of all colleagues, so that they can go about their business without the threat of harassment or abuse. We’d encourage any member to get in touch with us with feedback on this issue so we can help stamp these issues out.

Accord proudly supports IDAHOBIT and the worldwide celebration of sexual and gender diversities. We have our own objective to promote equality and fairness for all, including actively opposing all forms of harassment, prejudice and unfair discrimination.

Commenting on the report, Accord’s Chris Rimell says:

Last year on IDAHBIT day, I commented that the UK has come a long way when it comes to LGBT+ rights — and it has compared to some of our international cousins. This report shows that, although attitudes towards LGBT+ people may have shifted, we still suffer a disproportionate amount of abuse.

These issues won’t resolve themselves without employers and the Government stepping in and providing additional protections.

This report is an important piece of research.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues that we’ve discussed here and you want to talk to us confidentially, or if you want to give us any feedback on what’s been happening in your workplace: contact us at equality@accordhq.org