New guidance on tackling workplace harassment

Do you fully understand your legal responsibilities to protect staff from harassment? Do you know the 7 practical steps that every employer should take? Do you ensure that harassment by a third party, such as a visitor to a hairdressing salon, is taken just as seriously as harassment by a work colleague? Would new guidance help?

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Are you ‘oblivious’ to the scale of racial abuse in your organisation?

Hate crime has doubled in the last six years, with race hate crime taking three quarters of these crime figures. So perhaps it’s not surprising that an enquiry carried out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found alarming levels of racial harassment across higher education providers. However, many organisations are both unaware of the issue and overconfident in their ability to handle it. What’s the situation in your organisation?

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Hiding harassment and discrimination

The #MeToo movement has exposed the scale of the sexual harassment problem in all types of workplace and has highlighted the fact that many of those who have experienced it felt unable to speak up. Can staff speak up in your organisation? The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have found that NDAs (nondisclosure agreements) have become common place and have been used to cover up instances of harassment or discrimination. Would new guidance help provide clarity on the law?

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Banter v Harassment

An employment tribunal has found that office banter culture meant "fat ginger pikey" comment did not amount to harassment. Why?

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Student awarded £16k in sexual harassment case

A 17-year-old student receptionist at a Pizza Hut Delivery branch in east London has been awarded £15,800 after winning a claim of sexual harassment. This case raises interesting challenges for education and training providers when organising for their students, work experience, work placements or apprenticeship programmes. For example, how do you carry out a robust E&D assessment of practice for new employers that you engage with, in the same way that you carry out a health and safety assessment of practice? How do you communicate your vision, values and expectations in relation to equality and diversity with employers? How do you get feedback from students on their experience in relation to E&D?

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