Ikea UK has signed a legal agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) that commits it to better protecting staff from sexual harassment.
The intervention from the equality watchdog follows a complaint in February 2022 about sexual harassment and assault from a former employee, and reports that these allegations were not appropriately handled by store managers.
Under the terms of the agreement, the furniture retailer has committed to improving its policies and procedures to ensure it meets its obligations in relation to sexual harassment under the Equality Act 2010.
It has agreed to communicate a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment to all staff, and will work with lawyers to review policies and improve how it responds to complaints. It will also provide training on its enhanced policies to HR staff and line managers.
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The agreement is set to run until August 2025. During this period the EHRC will monitor Ikea’s progress and could use its legal powers, which could include court action, to ensure improvements are made.
Training and procedural improvements have already been implemented at the store where the complaint emerged, the EHRC said.
Darren Taylor, country people and culture manager for Ikea UK & Ireland said: “At Ikea, we do not tolerate harassment of any kind. We have robust policies and procedures in place to protect our co-workers and we take our responsibility to do so incredibly seriously, however, we also recognise and welcome opportunities to review and strengthen our approaches even further.
“Over the coming two and a half years we will continue to work collaboratively with the EHRC to ensure the best possible working environment for our people.”
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, EHRC chairwoman, said: “No matter how big or small, every employer is responsible for protecting its workforce and sexual harassment should not be tolerated.
“As Britain’s equality regulator we help employers to understand the law and we take action to prevent it from being breached. In signing this agreement, Ikea UK has taken an important step towards ensuring their staff are better protected from harassment.”
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The EHRC recently entered into a similar legal agreement with McDonald’s in the UK, covering improvements to its policies and procedures following sexual harassment complaints, the implementation of anti-harassment training, specific training for managers and supporting the uptake of policies and training materials by franchisees.
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