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Navigating your options around sexual harassment
There are several paths that could be followed in the event of you experiencing sexual harassment. These could be informal or formal and include:
• Seeking support within the organisation concerned.
• Speaking to someone you can trust within the workplace or organisation.
• Seeking support externally.
• Taking it up directly with the harasser.
Seeking support within the organisation concerned
This will involve either reporting the matter formally or informally or just talking to someone else within the organisation that you trust. Which option you choose will depend on what is available within the organisation, how you feel about it and the nature of the problem.
Speaking to someone you can trust within the workplace or organisation
This can involve talking to a designated person within the organisation or another person you can trust who is not necessarily going to do anything further.
External support options
Consulting your union in confidence could be your first port of call. If you are an Equity member then you can discuss the matter with the appropriate official or a deputy if there’s one on the cast. If you’re a member of a different union then you could approach them.
There are organisations with helplines for emotional support such as national or local Rape Crisis Centres or Breathing Space.
It could be, because of the nature of the incident(s), that you need to contact the police.
Taking action yourself to challenge the behaviour
If you feel able, and it’s safe to do so, you could ask the harasser to stop or change their behaviour. This would normally be best actioned with assistance from a witness or ally.
Things to consider before deciding on the best option for you:
• What support do I have around me?
• Are there clear policies and procedures available to me that I can follow?
• Do I have the energy or capacity to deal with making a complaint?
• What else is happening in my life that might be impacted by this decision?
• What additional support would I need to take action?
• Am I putting my own wellbeing first?
More details on the various paths such as formal and informal reporting and confiding in others are shown below.
Initial steps to take
Whether or not you’ve decided how you want to deal with the situation there are some practical measures you can take.
You should:
• Keep a record.
• Find out whether there are any company or organisation procedures you can consult and follow.
• Where there aren’t procedures look into ACAS guidelines and what else you can put in place.
• Confide in a trusted person.
Practical measures
It is good practice to keep a record of incidents of harassment even if you’ve not decided how to deal with it. Having everything written down can be a good reflection tool also. What you should do is:-
- Note all incidents, including: dates; times; names; witnesses; impact on you and any action you take. For example, if you go to your GP, a counsellor or another service because of the harassment, then make a note of this, too.
- Keep copies of any messages the harasser sends.
- Keep screenshots of any online messages.
- Keep a record of all conversations you have with the company about the harassment.
Note that ACAS has useful advice on recording harassment.
In many workplaces there will not be any company procedures but if there are they should be consulted. You may want to ask someone you trust to obtain them for you if you don’t want to do this yourself. Where they do exist such policies may be contained in documents such as:-
• Code of conduct.
• Grievance policy.
• Dignity at work policy.
• Sexual harassment policy.
• Bullying and harassment policy.
If the company or organisation does not have these, as many small companies won’t, then you can consult ACAS grievance procedures.
Much work in the entertainment and arts industries is freelance for companies where there is little or no formal structure. You do always have options. You should:
• Start with prioritising your own safety.
• Work out what boundaries you can put in place to create a safer working environment for yourself.
• If needed, find an ally who can help you reinforce these boundaries.
• If you can’t stop the harassment then reach out to a helpline to discuss your options.
• In some circumstances you may need to walk away from a project to protect yourself.
The trusted person could be:
• A friend.
• A colleague you trust.
• A union representative, Equity deputy, line manager.
• A designated person at the workplace if there is a scheme in place.
• An ally which could be a person either in the workplace or external who provides you with the necessary support and assistance in a way that works for you.