The depressing and predictable revelations about Gregg Wallace’s behaviour on Masterchef isn’t the only recent shocking example of the harassment, abuse and mistreatment of women at work.
Last week’s reports about the toxic culture within Moët Hennessy is yet another example of women being continually let down in the workplace; an environment where they should be supported, listened to and protected – but so rarely are.
Over a year on from the Sexism in the City report, which many hoped would be a wakeup call to change, the ‘old boys club’ culture is persisting. In this instance, it materialised as a female employee at the luxury French brand being told that she needed ‘anti-seduction’ training. And this is one of numerous other accusations the firm is facing at present, alongside sexual harassment, gender discrimination and unfair dismissals.
This would be concerning enough as an isolated incident – but the news probably won’t come as too much of a surprise to women. In fact, for many in workplaces around the world, this is their reality - the discrimination and issues they face every day; often whilst putting on a brave face and trying to continue their job to the best of their ability.
More than anything, this clear example of sexism reiterates the need for immediate action. Otherwise, the barriers will become even harder to break down and women simply won’t want to face such treatment anymore, resulting in a loss of crucial talent within the UK’s workforce and a backwards step in terms of societal progress, too. Toxic cultures aren’t just uncomfortable — they’re career-ending for women. Every ignored incident or brushed-off comment, adds another brick to the wall keeping women from the top and businesses from reaching their full potential.
Toxic cultures aren’t just uncomfortable — they’re career-ending for women
Proposed reforms to the use of NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) in the workplace present a glimmer of hope and could help prevent women from being silenced in harassment cases. Yet more needs to be done by businesses themselves to both protect and actively champion women. We cannot continue to claim to value talent while tolerating sexism.
As part of this, business leaders should be taking measured and meaningful steps towards change, holding themselves to account and ensuring they are steering the business in the right direction – towards progress.
At the top of the agenda should be stamping out bad behaviours that negatively affect the team and individual experiences of the workplace. This does not mean issuing baseless warnings – it means working with HR teams to ensure that a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination and bullying is woven into the framework of the business. It means removing gender bias in performance reviews and ensuring women have equal progression opportunities and career trajectories. Critically, it means executives leading from the top, taking proactive steps to demonstrate their personal commitment to change in this space and encouraging a firmwide cultural shift; letting everyone know what the stance is on such issues, and what the penalties are for stepping outside of these lines. After all, real, positive change in workplace culture starts in leadership.
Whilst these actions may not be a ‘fix-all’ solution, they will encourage a culture in which people are empowered to call out bad behaviours as they arise, instead of feeling that they have to accept the unacceptable – ultimately breaking down the rigid barriers currently in place that make women feel unseen and unsafe.
Global business leaders should also be taking a firmer stance on culture more generally, including not letting DEI policies fall at the wayside. This issue is more pertinent than ever following the DEI attacks happening both in the US and closer to home. Put simply, DEI is a crucial part of a business and a resource that we should be using; but aren’t. In fact, The Pipeline’s Women Count report revealed female representation in business leadership is already regressing, with the proportion of women in executive committees of FTSE 350 companies dropping for the first time in eight years - a clear sign that there are holes in policy uptake.
And there is more motivation here than just social development. Research from BlackRock found that businesses who have the most diverse workforces achieved a 29% higher return on assets than their least diverse counterparts. Given the economic landscape presently, this makes it clear that investing in DEI can pay dividends.
Women will continue to face an uphill battle to succeed until this ‘boys club’ mentality is stamped out: through responsible leaders understanding not only the importance of gender parity, but the multitude of business benefits too. Failing to act against bad behaviour or to commit to DEI policies will only drive us further back – to the detriment of us all.
Professor Geeta Nargund is Chair of The Pipeline
