New Duty to Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Workplace - October 2024
Posted on 31st October 2024 at 14:30
Everything you need to know about the new duty to prevent sexual harassment, as of 26th October 2024.
What is the New Duty to Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Workplace?
Parliament have passed a new Act that came into effect as of the 26th of October 2024 to prevent bullying and harassment, primarily sexual harassment.
The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act) Act 2023 outlines a new obligation on employers to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their workers throughout the course of their employment.
What Have We Done?
As a small business owner ourselves, our response to this new duty has been to:
Introduce a New Policy
We have introduced a new Sexual Harassment Policy to clearly reflect the changes made.
Review All Related Policies
All of our policies around bullying & harassment, dignity at work, communications, IT and social media use have been reviewed to ensure that our zero-tolerance stance is clear, and our employees know how to raise concerns if they are subject to inappropriate behaviours.
Make Managers Aware of the New Policy
Our managers have been made aware of the new policy, and the steps they need to take to prevent harassment. We have also provided training where necessary.
Conduct Risk Assessments
Risk assessments have been conducted so that we can identify potential areas where our employees could be at risk of harassment. We have then taken necessary action to reduce this.
Add a Clause to Our T&Cs
We have added a clause to our T&Cs to flag to our customers, partners and suppliers that we take our duty of care to employees seriously.
Protect Employees
We have a zero-tolerance approach to harassment in order to protect employees.
Your Next Steps
You likely already have some reasonable steps in place to prevent sexual harassment, such as an anti-harassment policy. However, there may be a few more steps you need to take to be compliant with the new duty. For example, you will need to develop and maintain a risk assessment, as well as prepare an action plan.
If you need support with updating your policy and implementing these changes, we can help.
For customers, suppliers or partners, we can send you a copy of our policy.
For information on training, contact sarah@humberhrpeople.co.uk
Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help.
01482 738 447 - Hull & East Yorkshire
01652 240 619 - North & North East Lincolnshire
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