The equality watchdog has called for urgent action to prevent victimisation in the workplace

Victims of sexual harassment at work need better protection.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has called for urgent action to tackle corrosive cultures in the work place.

The equality watchdog has called for employers to be forced by law to prevent harassment or victimisation.

Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the commission, said employers need to take consistent action when staff members come forward.

"Corrosive cultures have silenced individuals and sexual harassment has been normalised," she said.

"We need urgent action to turn the tables in British workplaces, shifting from the current culture of people risking their jobs and health in order to report harassment, to placing the onus on employers to prevent and resolve it.

The commission’s Turning the Tables report gathered evidence from 1,000 individuals and employers from across the UK between December of last year and February.

Around one in six of the employers who provided evidence had either not taken any steps to prevent victimisation or were unsure whether any such steps had been taken.

The report recommends that a change in workplace culture is required, there has to be greater transparency about incidents of harassment and new laws are needed to strengthen protection for harassment victims.