timeTo launches new campaign to make Christmas office party season a safe place for all

Brand new film asks witnesses of sexual harassment to consider what action they should take

timeTo, with the support of Lucky Generals, has developed a new short film to mark the start of the UK advertising industry’s Christmas Office Party season, asking any bystander witnessing sexual harassment what action should they take. The film, directed by Steve Reeves at Another Film Co, is part of timeTo’s drive to make the annual tradition for companies across the industry a safe and enjoyable time for all. It follows recent research from Credos which shows 70% of sexual harassment goes unreported while one in ten respondents from timeTo endorsing companies had experienced sexual harassment during the past twelve months.

The new campaign includes a new series of ‘Where Do You Draw The Line?’ executions in print and digital advertising formats which timeTo endorsing companies are being asked to feature around their festive celebrations. These executions, also developed by Lucky Generals, are drawn on real world examples of sexual harassment experienced by people within the industry. Every leader of a timeTo endorsing company will also receive their own festive reminder of the responsibilities for employee safety in the form of mistletoe along with a message from the timeTo team.

Helen Calcraft, Founding Partner, Lucky Generals, said:“Sexual harassment is a real and present problem in our industry and the Christmas office party is sadly a high-risk environment for many. It is totally unacceptable for anyone to leave their company party feeling upset, compromised or diminished. So, this latest iteration of the “where do you draw the line” campaign is designed to impact behaviour in real time. This year we are focussing on an all-important aspect of sexual harassment – the role of bystander. On so many occasions, sleazy and bullying behaviour is witnessed by others who feel disempowered and even afraid to intervene. We want to encourage people who observe bad behaviour or an abuse of power, to find someone in their company that they trust and make them aware of the situation.”

Kerry Glazer, Chair, timeTo, said: “We continue our work to eradicate sexual harassment from our industry. This new campaign brilliantly brings into sharp focus the important role of the bystander to report incidents if they witness something happening. This vital shift in behaviour will be of benefit to all as we make sure the workplaces and social gatherings across UK advertising are safe for all.”

The number of timeTo endorsing companies continues to grow and a full list of endorsing companies is on the official timeTo website. In October, every company was asked to use a new toolkit with materials designed for leadership teams, HR departments and company staff. This is the first step in a series of measures to ensure that support turns into action over the coming months to address the continuing issue of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Once again, the new timeTo Christmas campaign is supported by the generosity of industry media and event organisers. Leaders from publishers and event organisers including Advertising Week Europe, Campaign, Digiday, The Drum, Little Black Book, Marketing Week and Mediatel Newsline work together to support timeTo. 

timeTo, a collaboration between the Advertising Association, NABS and WACL, and backed by ISBA and the IPA, is aiming to address the problem of sexual harassment in the UK advertising and marketing industry. 

The campaign builds on the global #MeToo and #TimesUp movements with a recognition that all parts of the advertising industry are affected – all sexualities and genders, agencies, marketers and media-owners. It hopes to prove that, by taking action together, the industry will be better placed to make positive change to end sexual harassment. 

Any company wishing to support timeTo should sign-up via the timeTo website: http://timeto.org.uk/