As many of you will already know, on 26 October 2024, the Government brought into force the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 which includes a new mandatory duty on employers to “take reasonable steps to prevent the sexual harassment of their employees in the course of employment”.
This is a preventative duty that applies to all employers, regardless of size, structure, ownership or otherwise.
In this essential webinar, led by Harriet Bowtell, Senior Associate, our experts at Jones Chase explored the current legal context behind sexual harassment, the new duty on employers and what practical steps can be taken to help compliance with the new duty.
We covered the following topics:
Awel Roberts, Trainee Solicitor spoke about the new duty and recent changes, why compliance is essential and the potential consequences of non-compliance.
Harriet Bowtell, Senior Associate outlined the 8 Crucial Steps for Compliance – an overview of the key steps outlined in the EHRC Guidance.
Josephine van Lierop, Senior Consultant discussed the practical implications of what is “in the workplace” – and particularly when is something that is done outside the workplace, actually “in” the workplace?
Shona Newmark, Partner, covered the concept of Third Party Harassment.
If you are employer, we strongly encourage you to reflect on your current practices to determine if your organisation is compliant with the new law. In order to assist, we have created a “Sexual Harassment 2024 Compliance Toolkit”, which is a tailored, bespoke package which includes:
- Assistance with any risk assessments;
- Drafting/updating an anti-sexual harassment policy, which is compliant with the new 2024 law;
- Assisting with policy implementation;
- Drafting a compliance report, which will be a useful and key document in any Employment Tribunal litigation.
We have also put together a Key Steps Checklist and Key Questions document, which we can send through to you free of charge.
You can also listen to this webinar on the Jones Chase Employment Lawyers podcast below.
If you are interested in learning more or have any questions, please drop us a line at info@joneschase.com.
We hope that you find this webinar useful.