This IWD, it’s time to speak up about sexual harassment in adland

But most of us are impatient for words to turn in to action, so I want to spend the next 600 or so of mine on a different kind of speaking out.

One kind of speaking out we must all do more of – all year round – is raising our voices and intervening when we witness sexual harassment in our workplace.

At a time when so few of us are even in the office, it is easy to feel that this problem isn’t as relevant right now. But leaving aside the fact that some predators have simply adapted their behavior to Zoom culture, most people in our industry are contemplating some kind of return to the physical workplace in the not-too-distant future.

As they do so, many will be dreading the environment that awaits them. Research conducted by Credos in December, across 1250 people in our industry, revealed that 49% of respondents believe the problem of sexual harassment will worsen as we return to work. We cannot let this happen.

So while we make detailed plans for hygiene stations and disinfection routines, we must prepare to clean up our act on this front too.

This will be a job for all of us. Recent research from timeTo, the initiative that seeks to address sexual harassment in the marketing and advertising industries, shows that not only have a shocking 26% of people in the advertising industry have been sexually harassed, but 30% of people have observed or witnessed this behavior.

That is who I’m appealing to today – all the witnesses, onlookers and bystanders who see this problem in action and do nothing.

I was once offered a Cornetto ice cream by my harasser and, when I stepped forward to accept it, he grabbed the back of my head and forcibly pushed my face on to the cone while lowering it to waist height. Half a dozen people were watching. When I hurried out of the room in distress, he called after me to “lighten up and learn how to take a joke”. No one said a word.

Of course, I know that taking action can sometimes be difficult. For starters, witnesses may feel uncomfortable and even scared to get involved ’in somebody else’s business’. They might not be confident whether the behavior constitutes abuse – and if they are sure, they might not know what to do. But fundamentally, there are no excuses for inaction any more – especially as timeTo has created a code of conduct that is full of information to help if you witness a bullying or predatory situation.

You can read the timeTo Code of Conduct and the recent addendum to the code here.

The code spells out what constitutes sexual harassment, defining it effectively as any kind of ’unwanted sexual behavior, including offensive jokes’.

This bit is really important because it’s all too easy to shrug things off as ’banter’. But there’s nothing funny about any of this. We all need to know where the line is and call out anyone who steps over it.

Finally, the code gives practical advice on who to speak to. These include the accused, so they realize that their behavior isn’t appropriate; the person who has been subjected to the harassment, so they know they have your support; a senior leader or HR, so they can clarify the boundaries to the whole organization; and finally the Nabs Advice Line, if you need further advice on next steps.

There are many ways for bystanders to find their voices and speak up. This is how words will lead to action and force change; the change that we women need, so we don’t have to face harassment isolated and alone.

Witnesses and bystanders must #ChooseToChallenge and be allies, starting today.

It is timeTo end sexual harassment in our industry, once and for all.

Only then can then we can truly celebrate on International Women’s Day.

The action you can take is clear: empower your teams by arming them with the skills and confidence to #ChooseToChalllenge today. Book timeTo’s sexual harassment awareness training by visiting the timeTo website or emailing timeToTraining@nabs.org.uk