Are you ready for the changes in the UK Harassment Law?

From October 26th, 2024, a new duty will come into effect that all employers in the UK need to know about—it’s a mandatory requirement to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.

This stems from the #MeToo movement back in 2017, which, as we remember, gained momentum after the allegations against Harvey Weinstein. In response, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, or EHRC, published a 2018 report called Turning the Tables. That report eventually led to guidance on preventing harassment in early 2020, but progress was delayed by the pandemic.

Approximately 72% of the UK population has experienced sexual harassment at work at some point in their lives. Despite the prevalence of this, a large proportion of incidents of workplace sexual harassment go unreported- only between 28- 42% of victims will report this.

Here are the main changes:

Prevention: At the moment the harassment laws focus on what to do once something is reported, the responsibility will now be on the business to stop it happening in the first place.
Cost: Any claim will automatically be increased by 25% if you have not implemented a clear policy.
External elements: It applies to employees but also any situation where they are acting for the business, for example, if you have a third party in your office and they assault a member of staff.

What should you do?

Develop a clear policy
Share the policy with all employees, you have a legal requirement for it to be accessible to all staff
Risk asses your business – for example, do you have a free bar at the Christmas Party? What impact does this have on people’s decisions and behaviour?
Train managers to spot the signs and manage them, this could be “banter” or if a member of their team tells them they have been assaulted.
Be clear on your process and what happens if a case is reported
Culture: Do you have a culture where people can speak out and support?
Dealing with harassment by third parties

If you need any support we’d love to hear from you

hello@parallel-london.co.uk

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