Tantrums, tears & violence: The culture Westminster breeds

Workplaces are often fraught with politics and bureaucracy, despite the efforts of HR to lift those oppressors.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, the culture within Westminster is no stranger to the sabotaging nature of workplace politics. Just last week, a ‘dirty dossier’ compiled by Westminster researchers exposed allegations of sexual harassment against Members of Parliament. However, new reports have emerged, finding that the entrenched power imbalance in Parliament is leading to bullying.

According to iNews, when the sexual harassment scandal came to light, the existence of WhatsApp groups, where staff share stories about MPs, also surfaced.

But it’s not just gossip; the report finds that the chat app is used as an informal system for staff to protect themselves and others. With no real formal HR protection, it’s junior workers only insight into the environment. In a blog post written in The Independent, a former MP’s assistant revealed that “there is no independent HR department, no proper grievance procedure, no real consequences for those who step out of line. Numerous aides who tried to report cases involving them or their colleagues were told there was nothing that could be done.”