Firms must prevent sexual harassment at work under new law

If you have been subjected to sexual harassment you can submit a grievance to your HR department and have the right to have that complaint thoroughly investigated, regardless of the seniority of the individuals involved, says the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Some companies allow for anonymous reporting of complaints or have digitised systems.

While allowing anonymity may encourage people to come forward, the CIPD’s head of public policy Ben Willmott says these types of investigations pose a “challenge” for HR departments as they cannot “operate in a vacuum if organisational leaders are failing to reflect company values or expected standards of behaviour”.

Michelle Last, employment partner at Keystone Law, says the new Worker Protection Act means “employers must take steps such as carrying out regular risk assessments to identify situations where sexual harassment may occur, implementing effective policies and procedures and training managers and staff on a regular basis”.

She says this also means ensuring allegations of sexual harassment are dealt with swiftly and effectively.