Page 11 - Gi flipbook May 2018

Employers should have legal duty to non-disclosure agreements
prevent sexual harassment, says EHRC (NDAs) to protect their
reputation in sexual
harassment cases, and
recommended that NDAs
made in the EHRC’s duty should be considered should only be used at the
Turning the tables: ending unlawful under the request of the victim.
sexual harassment at work Equality Act, which would Sam Smethers, Chief
report, aim to promote be enforceable by the Executive of the Fawcett
greater transparency EHRC, and employment Society, said victims should
and strengthen legal tribunals would be given be encouraged to come
protections for victims the power to apply an uplift forward and employers
of sexual harassment in in compensation for victims should “genuinely listen
the workplace, reports by up to 25 per cent if it is to them when they do”,
Personnel Today. breached. instead of “preventing them
It said there should Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief speaking out or hoping
be a mandatory duty Executive of the EHRC, said: money will make the
for employers to take “Corrosive cultures have problem go away".
reasonable steps to protect silenced individuals and The EHRC, which
workers from harassment sexual harassment has been gathered evidence from
THE EQUALITY AND and victimisation by both normalised. around 1,000 individuals
HUMAN RIGHTS employed staff and third “We need urgent action and employers, claimed
Commission (EHRC) parties such as customers to turn the tables in British employers took no action in
has recommended the or suppliers. workplaces; shifting from around half of cases where
government place a legal To do this, the the current culture of a victim alleged that they
duty on employers to take government should develop people risking their jobs and had been harassed.
effective steps to prevent a statutory code of practice health in order to report Senior colleagues were
sexual harassment, and for employers to follow, harassment, to placing found to be the most
suggested an increase in specifying the steps they the onus on employers to common perpetrators,
the level of compensation should take to prevent and prevent and resolve it.” but almost a quarter
for victims where this duty respond to harassment The report also called of individuals said they
has been breached. allegations. on the government to had been harassed by
The recommendations, It said a breach of this ban employers from using customers or clients. ■

Number of EU workers seeking UK jobs the referendum threatens
fell since Brexit vote, research shows to leave UK businesses
unable to fill critical skilled
roles”, said Sinead Bunting,
Marketing Vice President
THE NUMBER OF EU a drop of 52 per cent, management roles in the at Monster.
workers actively searching closely followed by those UK has dropped by 24.8 per “And things could get
for jobs in the UK has from Portugal (41 per cent since June 2016, more even more challenging”.
dropped by 11.4 per cent cent), Poland (34 per cent) than any other occupation. A recently-released
since the 2016 Brexit and Spain (26 per cent), Jobs in sales, legal government report said
referendum, new research according to online jobs professions and the hospitality sector is
shows. board monster.co.uk. accounting have all been at particular risk of skills
Searches made by It says online searches searched 21 per cent less shortages, with nearly half
Romanian job seekers saw made by EU citizens for since the Brexit vote, of workers in restaurants,
as EU nationals fear hotels and pubs originating
The number of EU uncertainty over freedom from outside the UK.
jobseekers is falling of movement and the The Migration Advisory
status of EU citizens once Committee, which detailed
the UK leaves the bloc. findings from more than
UK businesses employed 400 businesses and
a total of 2.35 million EU government departments,
nationals in 2017. described EU nationals as
“While the proportion “higher quality and more
of international traffic eager” than British citizens
from outside the EU and warned reduced
has increased, a fall in immigration after Brexit
active searches from EU could be “disastrous” for
countries in the wake of UK businesses. ■

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News.indd 6 19/04/2018 12:43