Despite the unimaginable grief ushered in by the pandemic, it is a sad truth that for some, work from home policies brought a temporary moment of respite from the unease they feel in the workplace due to the ongoing threat of sexual harassment. The past year saw the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa cause many to reflect upon the impact of the threat of violence and violence itself on people’s everyday lives. But with incidents continuing such as the shocking recent case of Child Q, many believe that not enough is being done to ensure that women and members of the LGBT+ community feel safe in society and beyond that, in the workplace.

As the world navigates its way out of the pandemic, returning to the office has brought with it further anxieties around office conduct with many worried that boundaries have been forgotten in a time where social interaction was limited. This is evidenced by 49% of TimeTo survey participants reporting that they think that sexual harassment will be more of an issue as businesses return to offices.

To encourage more open discourse around the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace and help define the problem and consider how we can work to create safer working environments, TimeTo has created a training session for agencies and employers that offers thought-provoking and insightful information on the sexual harassment that is still taking place in adland and how we can work together to stop it.

In a wide-ranging training session, TimeTo’s expert trainer delivered an engaging 2-hour session that provided practical guidance on sexual harassment and helped participants gain further understanding of what is and isn’t acceptable in the workplace.

Impact vs Intent

With many people still unclear about what sexual harassment means and what it means specifically in the context of the workplace, the session leader presented a range of scenarios and encouraged open discussion around what is and isn't appropriate.

The session touched on the idea of boundaries as in some situations what is and isn't appropriate is clear whereas in others more contextual factors may come into play.

The session looked at the legalities, official definitions and policy whilst also considering more emotional elements such as the barriers to reporting incidents (such as seniority issues, fears that it will stifle progression or the fear of not being believed) and how being a supportive, kinder individual can create a significant impact.

Understanding the concept of consent was central to much of the discussion and by reflecting inwardly, being unafraid of difficult conversations and willing to think about our own behaviour we are able to create safer spaces. Many perpetrators of sexual harassment may not have ill intent but the TimeTo trainer highlighted the importance of the impact of someone's actions where the feelings of hurt that have been caused for the victim matter more than the intent. The trainer encouraged participants to consider the feelings and emotions of others and value impact over intent.

Industry and societal change

The advertising industry is no stranger to scandal; often the industry's range of events with free-flowing alcohol are pinpointed as the major cause of incidents but often alcohol simply lowers inhibition and unmasks deeper underlying prejudices. There are incidents of harassment happening to people on a day to day basis in offices or even at home via social media work networking platforms like Slack or Linkedin.

The training session gathered participants who all work within the advertising industry which created a sense of comradery as all had shared experiences and knew some of the overriding issues that need to be combatted to help work to create a better future.

However, in order to truly create a safer future societal change is also needed. The session, therefore, touched on responsibilities at an organisational and individual level considering how actions outside of work can help contribute to breaking down stereotypes and stigmas that fuel inappropriate behaviour.

Creating a safe space for change

What stood out the most about the TimeTo session was its ability to nurture an environment that allowed people to speak freely and be curious. As the session began, the leader encouraged participants to share personal stories if they felt comfortable and reminded everyone to approach the training and the experiences of others with genuine curiosity and empathy as opposed to from a place of judgment.

In order to truly make the workplace safer for all, we all need to be more willing to listen to others, take the time to self-reflect and be brave enough to question the actions of others. Participating in sessions like the TimeTo training is a great place to start to gain more understanding, feel more educated about the issue and learn to be more empathetic to create a safe space for change.