Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Sexual harassmentLatest NewsBullying and harassment

EHRC issues new guidance on dealing with sexual harassment

by Jo Faragher 15 Jan 2020
by Jo Faragher 15 Jan 2020 Sexual harassment can also take the form of inappropriate remarks and banter, the EHRC advises
Sexual harassment can also take the form of inappropriate remarks and banter, the EHRC advises

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued new guidance on dealing with sexual harassment at work.

In a letter to employers and industry groups, EHRC chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath outlined how executives must ensure that “employees come to work knowing they will be safe and protected from discrimination, victimisation and harassment of any kind”.

Harassment in the workplace

Consultation on sexual harassment in the workplace 

Policy on dealing with harassment complaints

The advice builds on the findings of the EHRC’s Turning the Tables report, published in 2018, which recommended that employers should have a legal duty to prevent sexual harassment.

It reminds employers that harassment can take the form of physical gestures, jokes or pranks, and banter in the workplace.

Alongside technical guidance designed to offer employment tribunals and courts a framework to make decisions on whether harassment has taken place, the EHRC recommends employers take seven steps to prevent and deal with sexual harassment at work:

  • Develop an effective anti-harassment policy
  • Engage staff with regular one-to-ones and have an open door policy
  • Assess and mitigate risks in the workplace
  • Consider using a reporting system that allows workers to raise an issue anonymously or in name
  • Train staff on what sexual harassment in the workplace looks like, what to do if workers experience it and how to handle complaints
  • Act immediately when a harassment complaint is made
  • Treat harassment by a third-party just as seriously as that by a colleague

Hilsenrath said that in the two years since the #MeToo movement gained traction, some employers had “woken up” to the need to prevent sexual harassment at work, but it was time for others to follow suit.

She said: “The issue is not going to go away and if we are going to create working environments where no one is ever made to feel unsafe or threatened, then we need a dramatic shift in workplace cultures.

“No form of harassment can ever be justified and for too long the onus has been on the victim to challenge inappropriate treatment. By setting out legal requirements and providing practical examples on preventing and responding to harassment, we hope that our guidance will shift the burden back on to employers.”

The guidance discourages the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) unless they are “necessary and appropriate”. Julie Dennis, head of diversity at Acas, welcomed the guidance and said the conciliation service would issue further guidance for employers on the use of NDAs next month.

She said: “The use of non-disclosure agreements in discrimination and sexual harassment cases have also been in the spotlight and we are launching new advice on NDAs next month to help prevent their misuse at work.

“It is vitally important for workplace environments to be open, inclusive and welcoming so that staff feel safe.”

Kirsty Rogers, an employment partner at law firm DWF, said the EHRC’s guidance was a likely precursor to a statutory code of practice.

She advised: “The guidance sets out the severe economic consequences for employers failing to address sexual harassment in the workplace, including low morale, poor workforce relations, high levels of stress, reduced staff engagement, higher turnover of workers, reduced productivity, increased absenteeism and damage to reputation.

“Additionally, it directly identifies the sheer scale of the problem and why preventative action is necessary. Prevention is always better than cure and clarity on what is not acceptable behaviour in the workplace, as well as the consequences for not adhering to standards, is fundamental. The spotlight is firmly on sexual harassment – this is a business-critical issue.”

Employee relations opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more Employee Relations jobs

Jo Faragher
Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Workers afraid to discuss pay because of secrecy clauses
next post
BBC unveils plans to relocate jobs from London

1 comment

Avatar
Angela Perry 17 Jan 2020 - 10:10 am

Amazing! we can’t tolerate any form of Sexual harassment in workplace.

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

How to keep up with conflicting voices in...

9 Jun 2023

Prominent hedge fund boss faces sexual harassment probe

9 Jun 2023

Teaching profession losing staff in record numbers

9 Jun 2023

GMB withdraws Amazon union recognition bid

9 Jun 2023

CIPD Festival of Work 2023: HR has major...

9 Jun 2023

Police Federation discriminated against officers bringing pension claim

8 Jun 2023

CIPD’s Peter Cheese: ‘HR shouldn’t be afraid to...

8 Jun 2023

HCM trends and pain points – time to...

8 Jun 2023

AI could boost headcount and skills, recruiter predicts

8 Jun 2023

Employers hit by payroll cyberattack receive ultimatum

7 Jun 2023

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+