In amongst the noise of the Labour Government's proposals for changes to employment law, we shouldn't lose sight of changes that have already in progress and coming into law very soon!
From 26th October 2024, there is a positive duty on employers to 'take reasonable steps' to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
Did you know that the following examples may be considered to be sexual harassment?
- Placing a hand on the shoulder or hugging a colleague could amount to unwanted physical contact.
- Comments on appearance or clothing – saying someone looks nice might be a thing of the past!
- Inappropriate messages or emails between colleagues – it doesn't have to be verbal or physical contact for it to amount to harassment.
What should you do?
Think about the culture within your team, if you've never talked about how to behave, then now would be a good time to start!
There's a new guidance on the duty to prevent from the Equality and Human Rights Commission which includes an 8 step guide on preventing sexual harassment. Read here: Employer 8-step guide: Preventing sexual harassment at work | EHRC (equalityhumanrights.com)
Here are their main points:
- Develop an effective anti-harassment policy
- Engage your staff – awareness of policy, reporting and consequences of breaches
- Assess and take steps to reduce risk in your workplace
- Reporting – have a means for a report to be made
- Training – Train your employees, managers and senior staff
- Complaints – Know how to handle a complaint
- Harassment by third parties – take steps to prevent harassment from third parties
- Monitor and evaluate
What can Dawson Kaveney HR do to help?
As always I'm here to help and here's a few easy steps we can take to do that:
- Introduce a Dignity at Work Policy (including sexual harassment)
- Educate your team on dignity at work and anti-sexual harassment including how to report
- Conduct a risk assessment on your workplace and identify areas of risk and opportunities for improvement
- Monitor and review your practices with you
If you'd like to discuss this topic further with me please let me know!