Do Human Resources anti-harassment policies go far enough to protect human rights in the workplace?
According to a survey conducted by NBC News and Wall Street Journal in 2016, almost half of the working women in the US have experienced workplace harassment. In the UK, the figures were just as shocking as reported by ‘Still Just a Bit of Banter?’ where out of 1,500 women who took part in the poll, 52% had been victims of harassment usually from a manager or person of authority. 62% of those women were between the ages of 16-24 years old.
HR policies such as grievance policies and procedures are helpful of course, but a shocking 80% of women do not report harassment! This isn’t just a HR problem but a human rights issue. In the #MeToo movement it was evident that grievances had fallen on deaf ears and a policy can only go so far.
In July 2021, a government consultation was published to try and provide the right legal framework to protect both employees and employers by providing further protection for employees as well as motivation and support to businesses. However, there also needs to be a cultural change within society as the law alone cannot fix this issue.
Employers need to consider how to protect their workers and ensure wellbeing in the workplace, not just for sexual harassment, but for all cases of bullying and discrimination. Following the consultation, the government would like to introduce a duty requiring employers to take positive proactive steps to make the workplace safer for everyone and prevent sexual harassment.
Global FDI offer a range of online courses that will provide the tools to be able to tackle Sexual harassment in the workplace, help develop good employee relations, as well as providing an understanding of equality and diversity to stop discrimination. They will support staff, to not only realise the implications of their actions, but also encourage those who have been victims of this kind of behaviour to report it before it ends in a tribunal case.
Give life to human rights.
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