Are you ready to comply with the new Worker Protection Act?
Take reasonable steps to protect your workers from sexual harassment with PeopleClear
Where SMCR and Employment Law Overlap
Be ready for the new duty to prevent sexual harassment
All employers need to be ready to protect employees from sexual harassment under a new statutory obligation. From October 2024 there will be a new duty on employers to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment. The Worker Protection Act (amendment of Equality Act 2010) will come into force and will change the duty on employers from redress to prevention. For the first time the requirements of SMCR and appropriate non-financial behavioural overlap with the latest changes to UK Employment Law.
We can deliver training that will make sure you meet the new statutory requirements.
FAQ'S
Answering your questions
We at PeopleClear are uniquely placed to help. As part of the wider People Risk Solutions HR network we have developed engaging workshops that will meet the new statutory requirements, and will train your staff and managers in how to operate under the new laws. Contact us for more information and a pragmatic solution today.
Workshop pricing starts at £1,200 + VAT for up to 30 attendees.
(That's just £40 per head.)
What is the current legislation?
- The Equality Act 2010 and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 are both laws that address harassment.
- Defined as:
Harassment as unwanted behavior that violates someone's dignity or creates an intimidating environment based on a protected characteristic, such as race or religion. - A single incident can be considered harassment under the Equality Act, while the Protection from Harassment Act requires at least two incidents to be considered harassment.
What changes are coming in 2024?
Employers will be subject to a new duty:
- Proactively prevent sexual harassment of their employees "in the course of employment".
- Applies to behaviour beyond the physical workplace and extends the protection to incidents that occur during work-related events.
- Less favourable treatment of a worker because they have rejected or submitted to sexual harassment; or
- Harassment of a worker related to any protected characteristic - including sex-based harassment which is not of a sexual nature.
What is Direct Sexual Harassment?
Direct sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that involves unwanted behaviour related to someone's sex or gender that violates their dignity or creates an intimidating environment. It can include a wide range of behaviours, such as:
- Verbal harassment
- Personal questions
- Staring
- Unwanted touching
- Displaying sexually graphic content
- Sexual advances
- Online harassment
What are some prevention strategies?
Creating a culture where employees feel safe to report harassment. This can be achieved by:
- A safe and respectful work environment is crucial for any business, both for its ongoing success and the mental well-being of its employees.
- Recognising the signs of sexual harassment in the workplace, which may be hard to spot without the correct training.
- Implementing clear preventative sexual harassment policies and procedures for reporting sexual harassment
- Providing regular preventative sexual harassment training to all employees
- Ensuring that management is approachable and supportive
- Taking all reports of sexual harassment seriously and investigating thoroughly
Take action today
We can help you comply
We work with Compliance, HR, and Leadership teams to strengthen accountability and governance within financial firms. The Worker Protection Act sees SMCR and Employment Law overlap for the first time. We can be your partner for compliance excellence.