The BBC has said it is investigating more than two dozen sexual harassment claims after corporation chiefs encouraged employees to come forward in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

The string of allegations against the Hollywood producer has emboldened others to speak out about sexual misconduct – including at the BBC, resulting in 25 claims so far this year, the corporation said.

Typically, the BBC is understood to deal with just a handful of sexual harassment complaints each year.

“After the Weinstein material was published we reminded staff again of the procedures,” Anne Bulford, the BBC deputy director general, told a committee of MPs on Tuesday. “All the time we are encouraging people to step forward if that is the right thing to do. You perhaps won’t be surprised to know that we have a spike at present. We have a spike, more cases than we have seen over the last three years.”

Bulford said that in 2013-14 the corporation dealt with 80 reported cases of bullying and harassment, but did not specify how many of those involved sexual harassment. In the last couple of years the total number of cases has been about 40, she added. 

“We have 25 live [sexual harassment] cases at the moment which is a range of different issues coming through,” she said. “I think we have to deal with cases as they come up and continue to encourage people to speak. Whether they are current or historic in relation to sexual harassment the important thing is people come forward.”

Last month, the BBC launched an investigation into one of its radio presentersafter he was reportedly accused by four women of alleged groping. He is alleged to have approached women from behind and put his hand underneath their skirt.

Tony Hall, the BBC director general, said the corporation had a zero-tolerance approach to such behaviour.

“As far as harassment and bullying, and I would extend that to sexual harassment too, we should have zero tolerance,” he said, speaking in front of the digital, culture, media and sport select committee. “That means to make it as easy as possible to do the very difficult thing and come forward and call out behaviour that is not acceptable.”

Bulford said the key element of an overhaul of the BBC’s complaints system in recent years had been to make the investigation process much swifter, which she said had been well received by staff.

“We have been encouraged through our staff survey and temperature checks we take through groups of staff that people feel more confident about what they can do, where they can go, where helplines are, and feel more confident they would come forward and the BBC would deal with it if they raise a complaint. We have made good progress on the time it takes to investigate complaints. That was a really big thing for people, that it went on for a really long time.”