BBC admits sex pests and office bullies still working at corporation The BBC, which has a Bullying and Harassment Policy document for staff, says it defines sexual harassment as "unwanted conduct of a sexual nature" and examined records over a seven-year period, from 2006. The explanation goes on to say the inappropriate conduct "has the purpose or effect of violating someone's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive working environment." Of the nine cases all but one of them has been allowed to carry on working for the BBC at the same pay grade as they were before the complaint against them was upheld. One of them was demoted by one grade, one case is still open while the other seven individuals received written warnings that their behaviour was not acceptable. The details of the bullies and sex pests who have been allowed to carry on working at the BBC was revealed in a Freedom of Information disclosure by the corporation. It was asked to state how many full-time employees working for the BBC had been disciplined in any way for either sexual harassment or bullying and what action had been taken against them. A BBC spokesman said: "The BBC takes bullying very seriously and has recently introduced major improvements to its policies on bullying and harassment in the workplace. Whilst every individual case is different, the purpose of disciplinary action short of dismissal is to make clear the BBC does not tolerate this type of behaviour and to ensure that the individuals involved are disciplined and this action is put on record. A recent survey found nearly two thirds of women workers across the UK have had a male work colleague behave "inappropriately" towards them. The research, which was commissioned by employment law specialists Slater & Gordon, found that the desk, the office lift or the firm's party were the venues where the office sex pest is most likely to strike. More than a third of women surveyed said a senior male colleague had made inappropriate comments about their breasts, sex life, backside, or the clothes they were wearing. Claire Dawson, employment lawyer at Slater & Gordon, said: "If an employee has sexually harassed a colleague, then this will often give an employer grounds for summary dismissal. Employers' policies should make clear that sexual harassment may amount to gross misconduct, particularly when perpetrated by a manager on one of their reports. If a perpetrator remains in post, you would expect to see at the very least a disciplinary warning and compulsory training on the issue and a clear indication that any further harassment will not be tolerated. Sexual harassment and bullying have no place in the workplace and it's worrying that these issues continue to be a widespread problem for some organisations. As an employment lawyer I have advised a number of clients who have been the victims of some serious cases of sexual harassment at work. I am often shocked by the response of managers and colleagues who either don't know how to deal with the allegations effectively or somehow think the victims have done something to deserve their treatment.