Since the start of the #MeToo movement, much has been written about sexual harassment in the workplace, but is it still an issue in the communications industry? Our Nicole Marsden takes a look…
I started out in PR 20 years ago when âShort skirts, big smilesâ was the standard recruitment philosophy for many large agencies, and was regularly required to carry out desk drops at the likes of Nuts and Zoo magazine (a misogynists playground if ever there was one). While individually the editorial teams on these titles were decent humans, entering these offices was possibly the most intimidating scenario for a young girl just starting out in PR, to be thrown into. And sadly the excess levels of testosterone which abounded in these environments meant that many individuals thought nothing of casually tapping a PR or promo girl on the backside, not to mention the lewd chat that went on about the various images of naked girls that plastered the office walls.
The doors to those publications have long been shuttered and rather than being seen as mere eye candy, women are now recognised as the intelligent dynamos we are and are increasingly taking on board level positions as a result.
So from a personal perspective, things have come a long way since my days as a junior. But is sexual harassment and intimidation still an issue in PR and if so why? A survey from Women in PR suggests that it is as it found that three quarters of respondents had suffered some form of sexual harassment during their career.
The nature of good PR work necessitates great networking and strong relationship building. This is often out of hours and in a more social setting than an average workplace meeting and regularly involves having a drink or two which can result in formalities being dropped which could lead to people overstepping acceptable boundaries.
In addition, by its nature, the PR business means dealing with influential people â be that journalists, influencers, analysts or investors and the fact PROâs are working to influence their actions or harness their authority to benefit clients, automatically offers them a certain power. Within agencies, clients are King as letâs face it, they are the ones that pay our salaries so the tendency and expectation to bend over backwards to accommodate their every wish is a mainstay of our working practice.
As a result it is vital that our team understand the expected standards of behaviour, both theirs and that of clients, journalists, and colleagues and that they are clear about what they should do, should they feel uncomfortable about a particular situation or an individualâs actions.
At Little Red Rooster, it is important to us that our team, particularly more junior staff members, arenât put in difficult situations that could cause distress and itâs vital that they are confident in how to deal with any and all forms of unacceptable behaviour, including potential sexual harassment. As such, we have a no tolerance policy and have pre briefing chats with the whole team ahead of any events we are hosting or attending to make it clear, what the team should do if a colleague, client or journalist were to over-step acceptable boundaries.
There is no longer any ambient level of acceptable sexual harassment. However, we need to have a âdoor always open policyâ and encourage people to talk if we are to stamp out all unacceptable behaviour.
Management teams within PR and any business, need to understand the Equality Act 2010 and give due attention to policies and procedures so the workplace is safe for everyone. They need to encourage people to speak up; and work with HR professionals to ensure employees are aware of their rights.
Whoever you are and whatever your gender, sexual harassment is unacceptable and should never be brushed under the carpet.
