Christmas Parties and Sexual Harassment Legislation - What You Need To Know
Christmas party season is here, and for most, it’s a time for team bonding and celebration, to reflect on the year and celebrate successes. Unfortunately, it’s also a time which carries a greater risk of sexual harassment in the workplace, and as an employer, you need to know where your responsibilities lie.
The Worker Protection Act 2023
This piece of legislation came into force on 26th October 2024, an amendment of the Equality Act 2010, which introduced a significant change in workplace harassment law. Employers are now legally obligated to take proactive, reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, including at work-related events like the aforementioned Christmas party.
This also extends beyond employees to include third parties such as clients, customers or contractors, so if you’re planning a big festive bash, it’s important to consider how well you actually know the people on your list.
What action can you take?
Anticipate and prevent: You must take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment from occurring. As an employer, you know where the risks lie within your organisation and employees. If you have perhaps been turning a blind eye when you shouldn’t, now is the time to step up, do better, and address the problem before it occurs. If you already know you have an issue with an employee or you are concerned there may be a future issue, you need to seek guidance
Act Promptly. If an incident occurs, you must address it swiftly to prevent recurrence. And take the appropriate steps.
Put safeguards and policies in place: We hope you never need to enforce such policies; however, it’s imperative you have them in place to protect your employees
Conduct Risk Assessments: Evaluate the potential risks during work-related events, consider factors like alcohol consumption, event timings and locations and even social groupings at events.
The consequences are serious
Failure to comply with your duties as en employer can result in tribunal and increased compensation costs, but even more costly and important are the human factors. If you sense this is an issue within your organisation, it must be addressed for the safety of your employees.
This goes beyond the Christmas party; no one should be at risk of sexual harassment at work. It’s not just a legal obligation but a moral one.