Workplace Harassment: A Major Deterrent to Career Growth of Women in PR

Workplace harassment is a violation of women’s rights and has grim consequences on their career progression. It is a conduct which creates a hostile, intimidating, discriminating environment for women and hamper their professional growth. Despite policies and regulations, workplace harassment is the ugly reality of the corporate world. The public Relations/Communications industry – largely perceived as a women-dominated space also grapples with the challenge of harassment of women in the professional settings. Whether in-house or consultancies, the sector seems to have done very little to safeguard the interests of women in PR. The Global Women in PR Annual Index 2023 reveals some mind-blogging trends in workplace harassment and glass ceiling in the communications industry and how it impacts the career progression of aspiring women PR professionals. I had an opportunity to attend in the GWPR’s Inside Stories Event and be part of the discussion regarding key implications of the survey for women in PR and Communication.

Here are my key learnings from the compelling webinar led by prominent PR professionals.

Harassment beyond Sexual Misconduct: The Global Women in PR Annual Index 2023 reveals that 55% of female PR professionals experienced harassment or inappropriate behaviour at work. Harassment (perpetuated by the boss/team leader) was experienced across all levels. For those working in a consultancy, harassment by clients was the highest at 27% which is a matter of concern. Most of us relate harassment with sexual misconduct in the workplace. The Index highlights invisible harassments like psychological harassment, discrimination, intimidation and cyber-bullying. The most common types of harassment were psychological (42%), power (40%), and personal (31%). Other types of harassment experienced by women in PR include sexual (21%), discriminatory (19%), physical (4%) and cyber/digital (2%).

(Image Courtesy: Inside Stories Event)

Underreporting due to Fear of Job Loss: Majority of workplace harassment cases go unreported due to fear of losing a job, lack of reporting structure or absence of reporting mechanism. In some scenario, victims were compelled to leave the organisation. The study highlights that 36% of respondent did not report the incidences of harassment due to the fear of a negative impact on their career. 21% did not report the incident because they feared retaliation, and 16% wanted to protect their mental health. 27% of those who reported harassment left or were encouraged to resign, and a similar proportion (21%) said that nothing happened as a consequence. Only 11% reported internal disciplinary procedures after they reported the incident, and 8% reported that the perpetrator left or was encouraged to leave the business.

(Image Courtesy: GWPR Annual Index 2023)

Lack of Redressal Mechanism: The Index also highlights the fragile state of corporate governance in protecting women against workplace harassment. 60% of respondents stated that their company had policies or training to deal with harassment or inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. On the contrary, 22% said their workplace had no such policies. 46% of those who suffered harassment in the workplace reported this to their employer. This figure stands at 33% in consultancies. Those who experienced harassment as a junior were less likely to report it than those in a mid-level or senior position.

Boardroom Barrier in Career Progression: Apart from workplace harassment, the Index highlighted the trends in women’s progression in board rooms, the impact of flexible work culture and equal promotion opportunities in the PR industry. Women continue to see progression and promotions slower than men. In-house teams continue to be behind consultancies in terms of women’s role in the boardrooms. Looking into the gender split of boardrooms, half (52%) of PR women work in companies with a male-dominated board. 45% of the women surveyed believed that women with children were discriminated against in terms of career progression, compared to just 2% of fathers.

(Image Courtesy: GWPR Annual Index 2023)

The study highlights that factors like flexible working hours, mentoring schemes, gender equity, and training opportunities can aid career progression of women in PR. Flexible working practices were considered the best initiative to enable more women to take on boardroom roles (75%). Other initiatives identified were having more senior female role models (73%), more senior recognition of the issues around gender inequality (67%), and mentoring schemes (69%).

Potential Talent Loss due to Ageism: Ageism is another issue that resurfaced in the 2023 report. A quarter of women said they did not see themselves continuing in the industry after the age 50. 24% of women in consultancies plan to move to an in-house role in their 50s’. In contrast, only 1% of in-house PRs would consider moving to a consultancy role. Less than 1 in 10 (8%) would consider setting up their consultancy. Only 2 in 5 (39%) of those under 50s, think they will be in the sector when they reach their 50s. This is higher for in-house (54%) PR women than consultancy (31%) PR women. The study cautioned that a lack of willingness to accept experienced women in strategic roles could lead to the loss of potential talent at the senior position where women already have limited scope.

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Priyanka Pugaokar

Priyanka Pugaokar is a communications professional with expertise in internal and external communication, crisis communications, content generation and media relations. She holds over ten years of combined experience in communications and business journalism. She is currently associated with Rashi Peripherals Limited as Corporate Communications Manager and leads several strategic projects. She is an avid travel explorer. A lifelong learner, she holds interest in yoga, naturopathy, energy healing and crystallography.