Creative employees say freelance precarity and power dynamics foster a toxic environment where one in five people experience serious sexual assault in the workplace, according to new data from Bectu.
The media and entertainment union surveyed 225 workers from across the UK’s creative industries in May 2024, revealing that 92% of the workforce has witnessed or experienced bullying or harassment related to their sex or gender in the workplace.
For the majority, the perpetrator was a colleague and most likely someone senior (55%) or the person’s manager or head of department (26%). More than 60% chose not to report an incident because they were worried it would negatively impact their career.
Almost 85% of respondents said it was harder to report incidents of sexual harassment as a freelancer due to a lack of job security alongside an absence of employee support structures.
The prevalence of temporary contracts across the sector meant that more than half of freelancers said they did not report incidents because they were worried that they might lose work as a result. Over two-thirds worried it would negatively impact their career, compared with under a third of those on full-time contracts.
The overwhelming majority of respondents felt that behaviours that would be considered toxic and inappropriate in public life are often tolerated in the creative sector.
In response to the findings, Bectu is launching a new helpline for members who experience sexual harassment at work after a trial in its freelance areas.
“It’s no secret that sexual harassment remains a scourge on the creative industries. While we hear lots of warm words and well-meaning policies and procedures abound, it is clear that a radical step-change is needed for the sector to meaningfully tackle this issue," said Head of Bectu Philippa Childs.
“In a sector where power imbalances are particularly extreme, it’s critical that victims can have confidence that their allegations will be taken seriously, investigated and dealt with swiftly, and perpetrators held to account.”