Campaign launched in Sheffield in bid to kick sexual harassment in the workplace

PieMinister’s general manager, Sian Moxon said as someone who has experienced sexual harassment at work herself, the campaign is needed to prevent unwanted incidents in the workplace.

And having worked in the industry for many years, the 29-year-old said she has seen and experienced enough to know the real issues workers are facing.

“I remember waitressing when I was 20. My manager would ask me to wear a lower top for me to get tips,” she said.

“When I was 18, I remember my first ever bar job. I was told to dress up, get my make up done. I think looking back now, a lot of my job was flirting with men to make sure they came back.

“I can't even tell you the amount of people that groped me, people bought me drinks, and people who would wait for me after work.”

She said it is ‘well and truly ingrained’ in society that it is okay to sexualise hospitality workers simply because ‘sex sells’.

“I've gone and got a job in the hotel once and within a week of working there, the manger was like, 'I gave you this job because you were really attractive’.

“They would think it's a compliment, and I even took it as a compliment but now looking back, no. I just needed a job but this is not what the people in the service industry think.

“It's become part of your job to be sexualised, and as a result of that, men get the wrong idea and no one called them out.

“I think, honestly, the problem lies within the hospitality industry.”

Organiser of Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise, a movement of low wage workers, Rohan Kon said it would be great to see employees speak up, not just about sexual harassment but all sort of other issues in the workplace.

“Sometimes the workers get sexual harassment from the managers and the staff members. When they report it, they themselves get punished, she said, adding that she would love to see the campaign include calling for harsher punishments towards the perpetrators.

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