News 19 February 2025

One in five say their employers should do more to keep them safe

  • Research from Mitie reveals that one in five (19%) Brits think their employers should be doing more to keep them safe
  • This rises to more than a quarter (27%) of those aged 18-34 and to over a third (36%) of people who work outside of traditional hours or commute in the dark
  • In response, Mitie has announced a package of employee wellbeing initiatives, including a pioneering partnership with personal safety app, WalkSafe, to help organisations support the personal safety of their employees

Research from Mitie, the UK’s leading security provider has revealed the duty of care that people expect of their employers will be a focus throughout 2025, with one in five (19%) saying that their employer should be doing more to keep them safe.

The research found that the measures organisations have in place to protect their employees from harm is even more of a concern for the younger generation of workers, with over a quarter (27%) of those aged 18-34 saying they expect their employers to be doing more to keep them safe. This comes as half of women (44%) and a fifth of men (21%) say they feel unsafe in the dark, even when making everyday journeys, including commuting to work. This figure rises to over a third (36%) amongst those who work less regular hours and leave the house or return home when it is dark.

With the amendments to the Workers’ Protection Act introduced in October 2024 further bringing personal safety up the workplace agenda, organisations face increasing pressure to address the expectation from employees to keep them safe.

Mitie has launched a partnership with personal safety app, WalkSafe to offer package of employee wellbeing initiatives designed to enhance personal safety. The new partnership will see Mitie develop an enhanced version of the WalkSafe Pro version of the existing app, which organisations can provide to their people, giving them the option to connect with trained operatives in a specialist security control centre, should they feel worried about their safety.

The partnership also enables organisations to evidence their duty of care for colleagues through a platform which allows for the reporting of incidents and the intelligent tracking of progress on how they have been responded to. This helps HR teams and managers to understand their workforce and make sure that a zero tolerance to sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour is taken.

Risk assessments, gap analyses, policy development, and customised training programs to equip employees and leaders with the tools to address workplace safety and harassment effectively are also offered by Mitie. This also includes how to support colleagues who may unfortunately be dealing with unpleasant situations at home, for example domestic abuse. Harassment deterrents are also available including advanced tools like CCTV, panic buttons, and access controls for added protection.

Emma Kay, Founder of WalkSafe said:

“This partnership aims to revolutionise the way that employers can take care of their colleagues. Having experienced harassment myself, I feel strongly that employers should be empowering their people to take measures to protect themselves from harm. The tide is changing and it’s important that workplaces have a culture of respect and accountability, with access to the right resources that help their people to feel safe at work.”

Jason Towse, Managing Director, Business Services, Mitie, said:

“With the Workers’ Protection Act bringing into focus that employers have a duty to protect their people, all organisations should be considering how they can extend that duty of care. Bringing our expertise in security intelligence, and WalkSafe’s user-friendly app, we’re developing a layer of protection that has not been available to employees before. Our hope is to encourage more employers take additional measures to take care of their people and ultimately support their personal safety.”

Survey of 2,000 adults conducted by Opinium on behalf of Mitie between 18 October 2024 and 22 October 2024.

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