SEXUAL HARASSMENT HEADLINES YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE ABOUT YOUR PLACE OF WORK!

Don’t face these sort of sexual harassment headlines in October and beyond!

•  NHS workers facing ‘appalling’ abuse as survey finds 1 in 10 have been       sexually harassed

•  41% women in construction on receiving end of inappropriate attention from       men.

• GMB union staff to strike over alleged sexual harassment failures

• Royal Navy investigates after women come forward with abuse claims

• McDonald’s Restaurants signs legal agreement with Equality Commission      about sexual harassment complaints made by staff in its UK restaurants.

• Banks and Insurers ordered to report sexism & bullying cases

• More than 1,500 UK police officers accused of violence against women in six       months

• Survey says London workers afraid to report sexual harassment at work

• Confederation of British Industry admits it hired “toxic” staff and failed to       sack people who sexually harassed female colleagues
  

On and on the headlines grow. Almost every workplace sector in the UK has witnessed a huge growth in sexual harassment cases put under the public spotlight with media coverage and court scrutiny. Damaging headlines like those above have a toxic impact on staff morale and public confidence as well as customers just walking away in disgust.

But from October this year, we may see the same sort of headlines but with greater public bite for those employers who turn a blind eye and also for staff who engage in sexual harassment.

From October 2024, employers have to demonstrate they have taken “reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees” in order to meet the Worker Protection Act.

In a nutshell it is called the “Preventative Duty.”

But preventing sexual harassment isn’t as straightforward as enforcing health and safety guidelines and stopping accidents. And it means employers doing more than ticking boxes. 

Employers will have to think, reflect and do something about root causes: why is sexual harassment in the workplace happening? What can be done in practice to change the culture that has allowed it to happen?

Reasonable action to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace might include providing awareness training , along with internal communications to make sure staff at all levels are aware of the channels for speaking up, whether that’s to a line manager, HR, an EAP, Mental Health First Aider or another special listening service. 

Many experts have also spoken about the need for a Clear Air Culture

This  can be encouraged by: 

• Making sure the work on creating a Clear Air Culture has active support from senior leadership and involves someone with personal responsibility for delivery  

• Taking time to understand what’s happening in the workplace environment, making use of an approach like neutral assessment within teams to get to the truth around relationships, attitudes to speaking out and feelings of psychological safety  

• Emphasising that preventing sexual harassment isn’t the job of the organisation or HR but a matter of individual personal responsibility among all staff members; everyone will benefit from being part of a Clear Air Culture  

• HR teams reviewing systems and policies and asking themselves whether they are working and staff at all levels feel able to come forward without concerns about implications for their career  

• Ensuring there are trained staff able to provide mediation, not as a last resort when there is a serious conflict, but as a typical means of dealing with grievances  

• Building up levels of skills among managers in particular when it comes to dealing with sensitive situations and conflict  

• If the situation demands it, demonstrating how there is the commitment to professional, impartial investigations

We have long experience of training, policy consultancy and advocacy work in helping create and maintain a Clear Air Culture.

People leave our one-day training course on the new Preventative Duty with a clear understanding of:-

•  Definitions – harassment, bullying and sexual harassment

•  Typical issues and behaviours reported to Tribunals

•  Reasons why sexual harassment goes unreported

•  Spotting the signs of sexual harassment

•  Characteristic of perpetrators

•  The legal framework including a new law in 2023

•  Penalties, Compensation and Consequences

•  Preventing sexual harassment at work

•  Policy frameworks-audit your policies against our checklist

•  Employers Duty of Care

And you will take away:-

•  Templates for best policy practice

•  Case Studies

•  A UK directory of agencies offering further advice, help and support

•  Access information about  our “after care” helpline for advice on difficult  situations

Get in touch for more details of this one-day course which can be delivered on line or at your premises.