Is calling women ‘birds' banter or sexual harassment?
According to a recent tribunal ruling, it's the latter. And businesses need to take note of this as from this coming Saturday, all businesses, regardless of size, have a new legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment from happening.
A lot of employers are not yet fully aware of their new obligations, however failure to live up to them could result in:
- An uplift of up to 25% in compensation at Tribunal, should an employee make a successful complaint of sexual harassment
- Employees having the right to complain to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) if they feel that their employer is not doing enough to protect them, even if they have not experienced sexual harassment. This includes protection from third parties.
To help you prepare for these new obligations I have created the attached checklist based on the guidance from the EHRC, which outlines the steps that Companies will be expected to have taken if they are to prove that they have fulfilled the requirements of the new legislation.
Preventing Sexual Harassment Checklist
I also have a package of documents that I can help you prepare to be compliant. These include:
- Anti-sexual harassment policy
- Sexual Harassment risk assessment
- Sexual Harassment Action Plan and Responsibilities Log
This package also comes with one hours HR consultancy to help you get the most out of your documents, and get you on the right track, for a total price of £200.
I can also assist with appropriate training for your teams and your managers.
If you are confused or unsure about what this legislative change means for you, then get in touch.