One year on from the launch of timeTo, new research from think tank Credos has revealed that incidents of sexual harassment continue to plague the ad industry.
In a survey of over 1000 employees from timeTo’s endorsing companies, one in ten respondents claimed to have experienced sexual harassment during the past 12 months, including 14% of female respondents aged 18-24.
More than three quarters of those who had been sexually harassed never reported the incident, while 11% of respondents overall said they had witnessed sexual harassment happening to others.
Meanwhile, 46% agreed that their company would benefit from ‘very clear’ guidelines and policies, while almost a third called for training on how to deal with incidents of sexual harassment when they occur.
“While awareness levels of timeTo and the ‘Where Do You Draw The Line?’ campaign are good, it’s clear that sexual harassment is still happening in our industry, as recently as in the past 12 months,” said Karen Fraser, director of Credos.
“Most victims are not officially reporting sexual harassment and this has to change. Our industry needs a new set of tools and resources to help put an end to sexual harassment.”
In response to the findings, timeTo has launched a new toolkit for its 232 endorsing companies which it is asking them to download within the next three months and to implement over the three month period following.
A new training programme led by the industry’s support organisation, NABS, will also be available by the Q1 next year, following a refreshed ‘Where Do You Draw the Line?’ campaign over the coming winter.
Commenting on the news, Dianna Tickell, chief executive at NABS, said: “The sad truth is that sexual harassment continues in our industry and we are determined to do everything to put a stop to it. We need all of our endorsing companies to play their part in ensuring everyone has a safe workplace and that, in the event of sexual harassment, people feel confident to report it with the certainty that action will be taken.”
timeTo is a collaboration between the Advertising Association, NABS and WACL, backed by ISBA and the IPA, which aims to stamp out sexual harassment in the UK ad industry.
A full list of endorsing companies is available on the timeTo website, where other companies wishing to support the initiative are also able to sign-up.
For anyone experiencing or witnessing sexual harassment and seeking confidential advice and support should contact the team at NABS on 0800 707 6607.
