An employment tribunal has found that a manager's use of the words "kid", "stroppy kid" and "stroppy teenager" amounted to harassment, after a young worker brought an age discrimination claim against her employer. The employee, Ms Roberts, had a job  More...
10 June 2013 15:03

Hayes (FC) v Willoughby This Supreme Court decision concerning a claim under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 was brought by one employee against another. It considers the scope of a potential defence to acts committed under the Act if an ind  More...
05 June 2013 11:57

Debate has continued today over the suggestion that retailers that stock so-called "lads' mags", and require their employees to handle and sell them, could find themselves liable for sexual harassment claims. This week,  Personnel Today reporte  More...
29 May 2013 13:05

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has failed to confirm a date for the forthcoming repeal of third-party harassment provisions and discrimination questionnaires. A recent government statement suggested that March 2013 would   More...
21 March 2013 09:10

Office banter can be a very tricky subject - one person's harmless joke can be very offensive to someone else. Helen Ward (pictured), an associate at Clarion law firm, looks at how employers can aim to encourage good team relationships and, in  More...
11 March 2013 12:02

The amount of newsprint devoted to the Liberal Democrats and allegations of harassment (to say nothing of other recent high-profile cases) highlights yet again the importance of dealing fairly, and quickly, with accusations of sexual harassment, says Ai  More...
28 February 2013 17:00

Lawyers have criticised the Government's intention to "water down" discrimination law by removing legislation on third-party harassment, claiming the move is neither wanted nor needed by businesses. Last week, the Government confirmed that it would  More...
18 October 2012 11:18

The Government will repeal provisions in the Equality Act 2010 that make employers liable for the harassment of their staff by third parties, it has confirmed. Currently, employers are required to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment of their  More...
10 October 2012 17:07

The Government has today launched a consultation on plans to repeal provisions in the Equality Act 2010 that make employers liable for the harassment of their staff by a third party. Under the Act, employers can be held liable if a third party haras  More...
15 May 2012 16:25

Two cases decided in 2011 take a broad approach to the application of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, says employment lawyer Gemma Hay. Q What is the Protection from Harassment Act 1997? The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 prohi  More...
03 January 2012 14:44

Two recent cases have thrown up some interesting issues in relation to sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace, including whether or not an employee's own conduct can be taken into consideration when deciding if harassment has taken plac  More...
02 September 2011 14:12

As part of the 2011 Budget, the Government has announced that it will consult to remove the "unworkable" requirement under the Equality Act 2010 for employers to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment of their staff by third parties. The Plan F  More...
23 March 2011 15:43

With Christmas only three weeks away, Personnel Today and XpertHR present a seasonal feast of employment related questions, case studies and advice on everything from managing the office Christmas party to employing seasonal temps...   More...
02 December 2010 16:56

Most of the Equality Act 2010  came into force on 1 October 2010 and employers need to make sure they comply with the  changes to legislation. Warning: This page is no longer updated. It has been   More...
22 September 2010 15:19

The Government yesterday confirmed that the main provisions of the Equality Act 2010 will come into force on 1 October 2010, and has made transitional provisions concerning discriminatory acts occurring before 1 October. On 1 October, the elements o  More...
22 September 2010 13:20

For a limited time only, Personnel Today Plus members can access a full model policy on equal opportunities which takes the Equality Act 2010 into account With elements of the Equality Act coming into force at  More...
22 September 2010 12:59

One in 12 women has felt sexually harassed in the workplace but less than half have reported it to another member of staff, research has found. The study, carried out by HR consultancy Reabur , found that women often did not report sexual harassmen  More...
09 September 2010 10:29

The Christian registrar who was found to have been lawfully dismissed after refusing to conduct civil ceremonies has now won an employment tribunal over owed holiday pay. Lillian Ladele, who worked as a registrar for Islington Council, was awarded £  More...
07 June 2010 09:35

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has paid out £148,500 in out-of-court settlements to staff who complained about bullying and harassment. The City's watchdog made the payments to four employees who took their claims to the Employment Tribunal   More...
14 May 2010 09:02

This is a decision of the High Court which considered the legal test for establishing a claim of harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (PHA). Under the PHA, employers can be held to be vicariously liable for acts of harassment carried   More...
29 April 2010 12:07