Sheffield hospitality staff are “powerless” as managers prioritise the high profits in the festive season, despite a new duty on employers to proactively prevent sexual harassment.

Dr Bob Jeffrey, of the Sheffield Trade Union Council said: “Sexual harassment is an endemic in the hospitality industry.”

His co-author on a study of the hospitality industry in South Yorkshire, Dr Ruth Beresford, said: “At least half of hospitality workers are on low pay, part-time and precarious work.

“There is a high staff turnover and many of them are from minority groups and are women who are more vulnerable to sexual harassment.”

Alice* was serving drinks at a Sheffield bar when a customer showed a naked picture of himself and asked if she was interested. Her manager did not ask the man to leave.

Sadly, this is one of the multiple sexual harassment experiences I’ve had. I’ve been groped and sexually harassed by men. I was reduced to an object. From my own experience, managers prefer profit to people.

“It makes hospitality a scary place to work for many women.”

Bea* who works in a restaurant said: “When I was bending over to collect glasses a man nearly triple my age grabbed my bum. I politely told him to please not do that but an hour later he grabbed both my waist and bum again.

“I told my floor manager but it was swept under the rug because it was a profitable night.”

Bea said she experiences inappropriate comments “almost daily” and often in large groups, other men will “join in on the joke.”

Although it is not clear what these steps are, UKHospitality has told businesses to carry out risk assessments, train staff and managers on how to respond to sexual harassment, and promote an open culture that encourages people to report it.

However, Dr Beresford is concerned this legislation is not enough.

Sexual harassment is part of the business model and calling it out is too much of a threat to their business.

She said there is a “sexualisation” of hospitality work and that employers will use female staff to attract male customers.

“They put their profit before the needs of their workers.”

Over Christmas, pubs, bars, and restaurants employ a high number of agency and part-time staff.

Dr Beresford said that these workers are particularly dependent on managers to give them work which can be “dangerous” because “they have complete control over their staffs’ working lives.”

“You feel powerless.”

She shared the experience of a woman in Sheffield who complained about the inappropriate behaviour of a supervisor and her manager, in retaliation, cut her hours. 

However, the Employment Rights Bill means that zero-hour workers will be offered guaranteed hour contracts which Dr Jeffrey said “will make it harder for employers to reduce your hours in retaliation for speaking out.”

Dr Beresford advised: “Speak to your colleagues. It’s empowering to find out you’re not alone.”

*Not their real names

Featured image (Source – Adobe Stock).