STAMPING OUT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE

26 September 2018

The discussion surrounding sexual harassment in the workplace has continued with the recent announcement from Carolyn Fairbairn, the director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), who called for the reinstatement of Section 40 of the Equality Act 2010. This enabled employers to be held accountable for sexual harassment occurring on their premises, although it was scrapped when the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act came in to place in 2013.

The director general of the CBI stated the following:

“In the past year we’ve heard about it from Hollywood to Westminster. It shows most men in business are as angry as most women. We must stamp out sexual harassment in all places of work”.

Recent statistics show a quarter of young women admitting their reluctance to report sexual harassment, due to their fear of job loss, whilst 17% admitted their worries regarding a reduction n house as result of reporting an incident.

These statistics stem from Young Women’s Trust survey, Its (still) a Rich Man’s World, which involved 4,000 people between the ages of 18 and 30. The survey presented findings showing that only 8% of young women who had experienced sexual harassment at work admitted to reporting the incident.

Responding to the survey, the Young Women’s Trust Chief Executive, Dr Carole Easton stated:

“It can be particularly hard for women on low pay or in insecure work to report being harassed by senior colleagues or bosses, knowing their job may – wrongly – be on the line.”

Since the release of the survey, it has come to light that there is lack of awareness regarding sexual harassment policies in the workplace. As statistics from the survey revealed that 32% of young women were not actually aware of the procedures when reporting sexual harassment within their organisation.

In response to this lack of awareness, Sarah Chilton, a partner at CM Murray law firm, discussed company failures in communicating to their staff that sexual harassment is not only wrong but is also a violation of the Equality Act.

“It’s all very well having a law covering victimisation, but not every employee will know that law exists, and not every employer may act appropriately regarding potential victimisations.” 

“Organisations need to really look at their harassment policies – if they don’t have one in place, that needs to change.” 

Dr Carole Easton pressed to not only implement better policies and training, but also the need for employers to take “preventative action”, including further support for women in male-dominated industries.

Here at Three Graces Legal we can assist you with claiming for sexual harassment in the workplace.

Please contact us at Tel: 0151 659 1070