Data from trans civil servants indicates rise in harassment, discrimination and bullying
September 6, 2024New data reveals that instances of bullying, harassment, and discrimination against trans civil servants are on the rise.
The Cabinet Office released more detailed data, showing the People Survey 2023 results broken down by demographic and analysing these figures.
According to the data, 21% of trans/non-cisgender officials reported experiencing workplace discrimination in 2023, an increase from 18% in 2022. The discrimination rate for cisgender civil servants remained at around 8%.
The data also reveals that 17% of trans staff faced bullying or harassment at work, up from 14% in 2022—a three percentage-point increase, similar to the rise in discrimination. For cisgender officials, the bullying and harassment rate remained at approximately 8%.
Chay Brown, healthcare director at TransActual, a charity founded by a group of British trans individuals, told ‘CSW’ that transphobic behaviour is influenced by ministerial conduct.
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Commenting on the statistics, he said: “This begins at the top and percolates down. If civil servants are seeing trans-hostile language and behaviour from cabinet members, some it will believe it's ok to treat trans people that way. Nor does this behaviour need to be overtly hostile, as we have seen previously.”
While the rates of bullying and harassment have increased, the number of reports has decreased. Only 36% of those who encountered bullying or harassment said they reported it, a drop from 45% in 2022. In contrast, 43% of cisgender staff reported their experiences, marking a two-percentage-point increase from 2022.
Brown emphasised the need for the civil service to ensure that all employees feel safe to report unacceptable behaviour and that everyone is clear about what is expected.
He stated, “Within the workplace, all staff should feel safe to report harassment and something should be done about it when they do. Policies need to be clear; because, as we have seen in recent employment tribunal cases, failure to set clear expectations around staff behaviour means employers may find themselves on shaky ground when trying to deal with discrimination and harassment.”
He also advocated for targeted training: “Last but by no means least, staff should be trained not just in trans awareness, but in how to be an ally to their trans colleagues and to step in when they witness transphobia,” Brown added.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson stated: “We do not tolerate bullying, harassment and discrimination in any circumstances.
“We are conducting the most extensive cross-government review of the workplace support for victims of bullying, harassment and discrimination in the history of the civil service, which is expected to deliver its recommendations next year.
“Our priority is to ensure the civil service is an inclusive working environment for everyone.”
The Civil Service Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2022-25 committed to conducting the first significant cross-government review since Dame Sue Owen’s 2018 review to find the best interventions for tackling bullying, harassment, and discrimination. The review is set to deliver its findings in 2025 and will examine policies, processes, practices, and government performance to identify gaps in support systems.
Among those who did not report incidents, 64% said, "I did not believe that corrective action would be taken," compared to 58% of cisgender civil servants.
For those who did report the issue, just over a third (36%) said the situation had improved, compared to 44% among cisgender officials.
In response to whether the work culture allows such behaviour to persist, almost two-thirds (64%) agreed, compared to 58% of cisgender respondents. Additionally, nearly a third (32%) felt penalised for reporting incidents, a sentiment echoed among cisgender officials.
Last year, the Civil Service LGBT+ Network and a:gender, the support network for trans and intersex staff across the government, developed a tool to record instances of bullying, harassment, and discrimination reported or witnessed by lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, pansexual, queer, trans, non-binary, and intersex colleagues, in response to anecdotal evidence of a recent increase in such behaviours towards LGBTQ+ staff, particularly trans, non-binary, and intersex colleagues.
An examination of the data revealed that the most common forms of bullying and harassment included:
• Being humiliated in front of team or others: 40%
• Negative micromanagement (e.g., excessive control, making staff feel incompetent): 40%
• Being ignored, excluded, or marginalised: 38%
• Intimidation or verbal and written aggression (e.g., shouting, threats, aggressive emails): 34%
• Being treated less favourably than others: 33%
Of those who reported experiencing bullying/harassment, 43% said it was perpetrated by someone within their area, directorate, or division, and nearly a third (31%) reported being bullied or harassed by their manager.
For those who reported discrimination, the most common cited reason was “gender reassignment or perceived gender” (38%), followed by disability (31%), gender (27%), mental health (21%), and sexual orientation (15%).
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