Businesses that want to avoid the pitfalls of sexual harassment cases can now sign up to a free webinar, which is being hosted by the employment law experts at Ilkley’s LCF Law, and all attendees will also receive an up-to-date sexual harassment policy free of charge.
The hour-long webinar is being held on Thursday 13th March from 11am and will appeal to HR professionals, directors, business owners and senior managers involved in policy implementation.
During the event, employment law specialist, Brendan Bah, will explain the practical steps that employers must take to comply with new laws that came into force late last year as part of the Equality Act (2010), as well as looking at several recent cases where businesses have fallen foul of the new requirements.
Brendan is part of LCF Works, which is LCF Law’s expert HR package that provides organisations with unlimited employment law advice, training and documentation, as well as support with drafting and implementing policies and procedures.
Brendan explained:
“Employers now have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent their employees being sexually harassed and need to demonstrate proactive measures are in place to prevent harassment, rather than merely addressing incidents after they occur.
“Failing to meet these requirements can be costly and time-consuming and employers that don’t have the relevant measures and policies in place can face a 25% uplift in compensation claims. Recent cases have resulted in a woman being awarded £36,000 following inappropriate conduct at a Christmas party and a teenage girl received over £50,000 after enduring physical and verbal harassment. The laws also apply to male staff members, with a male manager being awarded over £20,000 for rejecting sexist ‘banter’ and a male agency worker receiving £2,500 after witnessing female colleagues being harassed.
“This free webinar will explain the new legislation and employers’ obligations to prevent sexual harassment. We’ll look at what sexual harassment is, what the law requires, how to prevent harassment, what policies should include, sanctions for non-compliance and how to handle allegations effectively. We’ll also explore the Equality and Human Rights Commission's guidance and how employers can demonstrate they are taking positive action.
“Finally, attendees will receive a free sexual harassment policy which can be tailored to any organisation’s needs to seamlessly integrate into existing policies to support proactive compliance and prevention strategies.”
Anyone wanting to register for the webinar should visit LCF Works: Sexual Harassment – Free Webinar and Policy