Foxtons has urged staff to speak up amid allegations that junior employees were subject to “sexual harassment, antisemitism, racism and bullying” at the London-based estate agency.
A number of present and former staff told Bloomberg that they had been sexually harassed or racially abused by colleagues and that drink-driving was “commonplace” within the business.
One female employee, who was 21 at the time, told Bloomberg that a manager would comment on her body and say he wanted to have sex with her.
He then began attempts to kiss or grope her in the office and sent explicit messages to this employee and other female colleagues, asking for photos in return.
The employee complained to HR about the incident, but she was told that the behaviour was “unexceptional”.
Another – now former – employee said he telephoned the chief executive, Guy Gittins, to tell him that he had been racially abused by a colleague, only for Gittins to say that he did not believe the man in question would have used the alleged term.
The chief executive of Foxtons has been accused of overseeing a culture of sexual harassment, bullying and inappropriate behaviour.
The allegations have been denied by Gittins’ representatives.
A Foxtons spokesperson told EYE: “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.”
Foxtons issued a statement highlighting the actions it has taken to improve working conditions at the company:
Speak up processes
+ Foxtons operates an independent whistleblowing hotline, allowing employees to report any concerns confidentially.
+ Senior Management, the Board and the Audit Committee regularly review the whistleblowing policy to ensure it meets the company’s ethical standards and legal requirements.
+ Employees are actively encouraged to report any suspected wrongdoing, or malpractice
+ All employees are regularly made aware of the whistleblowing policy and are encouraged to speak up confidentially if they have any concerns.
+ The policies, and whistleblowing number, are visible in all communal areas in our offices
Women in the business
+ The Women@Foxtons network brings together female team members at various levels of their careers to provide a support network for women within the business
+ From 2022 to 2024 6-month leaver rate for females has reduced by 30% and on track for 2025 for that to reduce by 40%. The variance in the amount of female leavers vs male leavers has reduced by around 50% from 2023 onwards.
Alcohol
+ Alcohol was removed at Friday sales meetings in the offices from July 2023. Like many companies, we encourage non-drinking focused activities and wider events focused on wellbeing and catering to our many multi-faith employees.
+ Foxtons actively discourages driving to the meeting at all and makes a point of saying if employees go to the pub afterwards, they are not to drive home.
In Foxtons’ 2024 employee engagement survey (conducted in December 2024, with a response rate of 77% of 1400 employees)
+ 83% said they had confidence in the leaders of Foxtons group (up 2% on prior year, and 20% higher than the average score for companies in the UK with 1000-5000 employees)
+ 83% said they felt like part of a team
+ 88% said they had a good understanding of what Foxtons’ company values meant – These include diversity, upholding high ethical standards, and whistle-blowing.
+ 86% said Foxtons group values diversity (up 5%, and 8% higher than the average score for companies in the UK with 1000-5000 employees)
+ 87% said Foxtons builds diverse teams
+ 83% agreed their manager genuinely cared about their wellbeing
+ 81% would recommend Foxtons as a great place to work (6% higher than the average score for companies in the UK with 1000-5000 employees)
+ While much progress has been made already, with a 13% improvement in retention since 2022, we understand that more can always be done and we will be looking at other areas of improvements.
