20/11/2017
Advice from Acas on sexual harassment at work (UK)
In response to the recent spate of high profile cases of sexual harassment, Acas has published new advice to help employers and employees identify and deal with the types of behaviour that could be considered sexual harassment.
Individual sections in ‘Sexual harassment’ briefly cover
- what is sexual harassment?
- how does it happen?
- sexual assault and physical threats
- who can it happen to?
- historical allegations
- making a complaint of sexual harassment
- handling a complaint of sexual harassment
- getting support
It also identifies the following examples of sexual harassment —
- making written or verbal comments of a sexual nature, such as remarks about a colleague’s appearance, questions about his/her sex life, offensive jokes
- displaying pornographic images
- sending/forwarding emails with sexual content
- unwanted physical contact
- sexual assault
- and suggests victims should check if there are workplace policies to address them internally before seeking to have them dealt with externally.
For example, while many organisations suggest that workers who experience sexual harassment from someone in a position of power or influence should make a complaint to a supervisor or manager, others might nominate
- a personnel officer with specialist training
- a named ‘fair treatment’ contact
- a local trade union representative
Any complaints that involve sexual assault or physical threats are criminal acts and should be reported to the police. Employers can continue to follow their own disciplinary procedures while the criminal investigation takes place.
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