Estate agency Foxtons has come under fire after allegations in the national press about its culture of ‘sexual harassment, antisemitism, racism and bullying.’ The largest estate agency in London say will ‘take allegations of harassment and misconduct extremely seriously and thoroughly investigate them.’
First reported on Bloomberg and subsequently picked up in The Times and trade press, the allegations revolve around present and former staff indicating they had witnessed, or been the victim of, sexual harassment or racial abuse by colleagues. Drink-driving was ‘commonplace’ in the business.
Chief Executive Guy Gittins has himself come under fire with one employee claiming he’d spoken directly to him to make a complaint which Gittins dismissed, saying he didn’t believe the term would have been used by the employee alleged to have done so. Gittins’ lawyers say he ‘does not accept’ that the colleague made the complaint and he dismissed it.
Employees say despite making formal complaints to line management, they were met with ‘indifference’. Others didn’t report incidents because they didn’t believe anything would be done about them. In a statement Foxtons said
“We take allegations of harassment and misconduct extremely seriously and thoroughly investigate them. We urge all of our employees to use our confidential whistleblowing process so that allegations of wrongdoing can be investigated and required action taken.
“We conduct mandatory annual training for all 1,400 employees, including the board, on sexual harassment, respectful workplace behaviour and managing personal relationships at work, alongside clear and tested escalation processes, confidential whistleblowing systems and feedback surveys. We are proud of our workforce which reflects London’s vibrant and diverse population, and we are focused on fostering an environment where our people feel able to speak up.”
