Let's Talk About: Harassment
On Tuesday, 19th November, we held an L.O.R. In Conversation event titled ‘Let’s Talk About: Harassment’. Over coffee and breakfast naans, kindly provided by our hosts at Dishoom Shoreditch, we got stuck into a much-needed discussion on harassment in the hospitality industry.
The recent #MeToo movement has thankfully brought to light the darker side of this industry we so love, where harassment of all kinds is unfortunately so often the norm, even now. In 2019 (pause for effect). Though we’re arguably more open about this than ever, with more individuals gradually feeling more able to come forward and talk about their experiences, and more organisations around to offer support (skip to the end of this article for a list of some), there is still a long way to go.
An article published last year in the Guardian reports that 89% of hospitality workers said they had experienced one or more incidents of sexual harassment in their working life. Of those, 56.3% said they had been targeted by a member of the public and 22.7% said they had been harassed by a manager.
Setting aside for a moment the fact that harassment has become so commonplace in the industry that it’s considered a norm and ‘just part of the job’, there’s the issue of how to break out of this depressingly self-perpetuating cycle once harassment has taken place. HR is non-existent in all but larger restaurant groups, and most people wouldn’t know where and how to lodge a formal complaint, even if they felt able to – the same report states that 77% of workers said their place of work didn’t have an anti-sexual harassment policy in place.
This is a huge issue, and one that needs a sustained, collective effort to tackle. The toxic culture so many of us have experienced sadly isn’t going to change overnight. But it can and will change, if we take active steps to get it out in the open. Talking is good. Partly because it exposes the problem, partly because it brings us together through previously isolating experiences. We can learn from one another - how to deal with harassment, how not to deal with harassment, why it might be happening and what we think will help prevent it from happening.
So we talked. The rest of this article is what we found out…
Have you ever been harassed, or made to feel vulnerable, whilst at work?
If yes, did you feel comfortable filing a complaint?
If no, what was the reason you didn’t feel able to file a complaint?
(a) - No complaint procedure in place
(b) - I was young and/or new to the industry and lacking confidence
(c) - I didn’t think it was serious enough
What do you think constitutes harassment in the workplace?
Bullying
Sexual harassment
Sexism
Racism
Verbal Abuse
Invading personal space
Uncomfortable use of pet names (‘Darling, sweetheart’)
Invasive questions (‘Bet you have a boyfriend…’)
Aggressive comments
Unwarranted sexual comments
Constant staring
Explicit language
Sexual innuendos
Getting too close - arm touching, poking, unwanted flirting
Mental harassment
Touching inappropriately
Not realising the boundaries of a person, especially if they tell you to stop
Making someone feel uncomfortable
Performance-related mocking
Intimidation
Gaslighting
Belittling
What kind of training, if any, have you been given at work regarding harassment?
None - 75%
Some - 25%
Do you have a harassment policy at your place of work that you’re aware of?
No - 50%
Yes - 43%
Do you know what kind of support is out there?
No - 62%
Yes - 38%
Big, big thank you to our guests at this event: Emma Ross from The Comptoir, Victoria Stewart from Hospitality Speaks and Anna Sulan from A Meeting Place, as well as every single woman that attended and offered their thoughts, stories, and kindness.
Resources
More support groups can be found here.
You can of course also email us - ladies@ladiesofrestaurants.com