Bullying & Harassment in the Workplace - Prevention, ‘Reasonable Steps’ & More

Introduction

Bullying and harassment are challenging issues to manage in the workplace.

It can be difficult to define what amounts to bullying and harassment, with different people having contrasting opinions. However, the employer has a duty of care to the employee and must be alert to problems and address them promptly when they occur.

This webinar will discuss the legal issues; defining harassment, exploring the claims that can be made relating to bullying and looking at the employer liability, and the procedural issues.

The webinar will look specifically at the requirements of the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 and what ‘reasonable steps’ the employer should take to stop harassment happening in the workplace.

Consideration will also be given to the following procedural issues:

• How should claims of bullying and harassment be addressed?
• How does the employer balance the duty of care to both the victim and the alleged bully/harasser?
• How can confidentiality be maintained?

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Harassment
• The definition in the Equality Act 2010
• Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010)
• Case law - looking at what is and is not harassment
• Bullying
• What behaviour amounts to bullying?
• Personal injury claims
• Constructive dismissal
• The definition of vicarious liability
• What are the liabilities of the employer?
• When the harasser might also be liable
• Responding to a complaint of harassment or bullying
• Dealing with confidentiality
• Taking witness statements
• Addressing the harasser/bully
• Potential disciplinary action
• Managing grievances
• Preventing harassment and bullying
• ‘Reasonable steps’ defence
• Challenging inappropriate behaviours
• Training and education

This webinar was recorded on 15th February 2024