1 in 4 women still have a 'Weinstein' in their workplace

MORE than a third of women have been sexually harassed at work in the last 12 months despite the MeToo movement shining a spotlight on the problem, a new study has found. A year after the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, 37% say they have experienced harassment and 39% have witnessed colleagues being abused. 28% claim they still have a 'Weinstein' in their workplace; a predatory male colleague or boss who uses his position to prey on female members of staff.

Employment law specialists Slater and Gordon spoke to 2,000 women for the study, which paints a worrying picture of today's workplace for women post-MeToo.

Suggestive or inappropriate comments or behaviour were still the most common experiences (16%), but females also told of being subjected to sexually explicit or sexist conduct (11%) and in 6% of cases, groped. A similar poll carried out this time last year showed 51% of women had been sexually harassed at work but were often too scared to speak out, and even now it seems little has changed.

21% of women who had been a recent victim had made a formal complaint. Reasons ranged from believing nothing would be done (36%), fears they wouldn't be believed (22%), that it would harm their career (18%) to claiming it was just the norm in their workplace; a depressing reality for 21%. Many of those who did speak up found it made the situation worse; from negative rumours and comments from colleagues (14%) to being sidelined (12%) or moved (11%). 9% said the harassment continued and 7% lost their job.

Clare Armstrong, an employment lawyer at Slater and Gordon, said:- "The case of Harvey Weinstein has brought to the forefront the ugly environment many people are exposed to at work and it is worrying that despite recent events, it is still such an issue.  We have certainly seen more people contacting us after realising that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable or normal and there is something they can do about it. The MeToo movement has been hugely positive in terms of highlighting the issue and encouraging women to talk about their experiences, but these results do show there is still that fear holding many of them back. It takes courage to report sexual harassment and the confidence that your employer will listen and support you, but I think many companies are still ignorant to the severity of the problem or are choosing to turn a blind eye."

Women reported feeling uncomfortable, scared, violated, degraded, intimidated, ashamed and depressed following the harassment, the majority of which was committed by men in positions of power. 59% who had been targeted in the last 12 months said it had happened before on multiple occasions throughout their career, often for months at a time.

68% of those surveyed weren't sure whether colleagues would feel confident in reporting harassment to a manager. Mirroring the earlier study, respondents said they would fear repercussions (53%) and 20% said it was still considered acceptable. 52% said their employer had not put in place any measures to combat sexual harassment in the wake of Weinstein and MeToo. 56% said their company did not have an anti harassment policy or if it did, they weren't aware. 20% didn't believe their employer took the issue seriously enough; and many colleagues weren't supportive either. 69% of women who identified a 'Weinstein' in their workplace admitted their behaviour went unpunished because people didn't want to jeopardise their job (23%), were too scared (19%) or simply turned a blind eye and assumed someone else would report them (16%). Alarmingly, 13% thought their actions were 'harmless.'

Clare Armstrong added:- "What's striking is how some workplaces still seem to normalise this behaviour, even in the wake of MeToo. Sexual harassment at work is unlawful and can be the basis for an employment tribunal claim against the employer and the individual perpetrator. Employers are obliged to take reasonable steps to prevent it and if they fail to do so they are unlikely to have a good defence. There is currently no legal obligation on companies to have an anti-harassment policy, but making this mandatory is a necessary step. We would also like to see the reintroduction of mandatory equality questionnaires where employees can ask questions about any incidents of harassment and discrimination. Although it is good practice for employers to respond to questions, there is no statutory time frame or automatic inference of discrimination if they fail to, as used to be the case."

Liverpool named as 1 of the world's 1st Global Active Cities

LIVERPOOL is becoming 1 of the world's 1st Global Active Cities, and the 1st in the UK, in an announcement that has been made on Saturday, 29 September to mark World Heart Day. Liverpool and 5 other Cities:- Buenos Aires, Argentina; Hamburg, Germany; Lillehammer, Norway; Ljubljana, Slovenia; and Richmond, British Columbia, Canada; have worked hard to offer all their residents the opportunity to choose active and healthy lifestyles and improve their well being. Each City has embraced a management model that motivates people at risk of inactivity related illnesses to take up regular physical activity and sport. In order to receive the Global Active City label, they each had to pass an independent audit with a stringent review of their physical activity and sports strategies and working practices. The Global Active City Standard was created with input from more than 70 experts in health, sport and social sciences; legacy and sustainability; tourism; and urban planning and management. A number of key figures from Liverpool took part in the process and, because of their advanced work in delivering the Liverpool Active City Strategy. Liverpool City Council, NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) were development partners for the model.

Deputy Mayor, Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "We are delighted to be named among the world's 1st Global Active Cities. Together with our partners, we have done a tremendous amount of collaborative work in recent years to develop innovative approaches, such as the Fit for Me campaign, and to embed physical activity across our communities, health pathways and workplaces to encourage people to build activity into their daily lives. We are proud of the unique partnership between Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group and our key stakeholders, supported by our Sport and Recreation and Public Health teams, and we're committed to using the Global Active City title to drive forward our work in inspiring people living and working in Liverpool to be more active every day for life."

The Liverpool Active City Strategy was originally launched in 2005 to boost levels of activity and to mobilise partners across a range of sectors to set out towards a different future together. Liverpool is one of the most deprived Cities in England yet has developed a globally recognised approach that aims to enable people to become more physically active. The City's Physical Activity and Sport Strategic Stakeholders have developed an ambitious vision for Liverpool to be the most active City in England by 2021, pioneering a progressive physical activity and sport strategy, which has relied heavily on evidence based research to target, inactive groups with multiple barriers to becoming more active. They have also pursued innovative, outside the box ideas, to test new approaches to inspiring the whole population to become more active. Research over the last 3 years has indicated that attitudes towards physical activity are shifting and that this is having a positive effect on levels of inactivity.

Doctor Maurice Smith, Clinical Director from NHS Liverpool CCG, said:- "The evidence shows that if you can get a population physically active, you will make huge benefits across a range of areas. In Liverpool, we worked out in 2016 that if we got 100% of the City physically active, each year we would prevent 400 deaths, almost 2,500 cases of diabetes, 140 to 150 Hospital admissions for coronary heart disease, 50 cases of breast cancer, and 30 to 40 cases of colorectal cancers. These benefits far exceed anything you could do medically and certainly exceed all the screening procedures that go on."

Regular physical activity can contribute to reducing the risk of a number of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including:- cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, as well as a number of mental disorders. The Active Well being Initiative (AWI), an international NGO responsible for the Global Active City label, works with City leaders to help them provide projects and services that engage local residents who have or are likely to develop these NCDs. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults do a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity each week, and children aged 5 to 17 should do an hour each day.

Dr Lynne Boddy, Physical Activity Exchange Lead based within the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at LJMU, said:- "Physical inactivity is a global public health issue, and it is important that Cities pull together to promote active lifestyles to bring about meaningful changes. It is fantastic that Liverpool has been named as one of the 1st Global Active Cities. The Physical Activity Exchange has a long track record of working within Liverpool, but also as a development partner for the Active Well being Initiative, we are pleased to see that Cities are prioritising physical activity and meeting the necessary standards to be awarded Global Active City status."

The Global Active City programme was founded by Evaleo, a sustainable health association, and TAFISA, The Association For International Sport for All, with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The 1st Cities have been invited to receive their awards from the AWI in the presence of IOC President Thomas Bach, at the Olympism In Action Forum in Buenos Aires, as part of the opening events for the Youth Olympic Games. Buenos Aires' Global Active City strategy; Ciudad Activa; is 1 of the many legacies of the Games for the local population. The Active Well being Initiative recommends that Cities which want their populations to be more active should start by identifying key stakeholders and available resources, and partnering with local public health teams, community engagement leads and universities, to find which groups are most at risk from inactivity, and least engaged, and how to reach them. To find out more about the Global Active City model, visit:- ActiveWellBeing.Org  or follow them on Twitter.