Worker Protection Act 2024: Changes to UK Workplace Harassment Laws and What Little Green Button Is Doing About It
The key change that employers need to be aware of is the proactive prevention of harassment. In this guide, we’ll explain what the amendments to the Equality Act 2010 mean, what steps you need to take to comply with the law and how Little Green Button is developing a new feature to help you meet the law’s requirements.
Contents:
The Worker Protection Act is an amendment to the Equality Act 2010. This means that it doesn’t replace the Equality Act, which is still current legislation, but changes have been made to include extra requirements regarding worker protection.
The new law states that employers have a greater duty to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent harassment, particularly sexual harassment, of their workers by colleagues. Employers who are found to not be fulfilling their duty could face employment tribunals where compensation could be boosted by up to 25%, so it’s crucial to get your compliance up to scratch immediately.
1. Proactive prevention
The law now requires employers to take active steps to stop harassment in its tracks. This doesn’t just mean having a policy in place — it means regularly assessing potential risks, revisiting how things are done, and making sure employees feel heard. Capturing employee concerns and taking action based on those concerns will be key.
The days of being reactive, waiting until a complaint comes in, are over. Employers also need to manage risks from external parties, like customers or suppliers, not just their own staff. This is referred to as third-party sexual harassment.
2. Training is a must
Employers will also need to provide regular training on harassment and how to report it. This isn’t a one-off tick box exercise; it’s about equipping staff to feel confident in spotting and reporting inappropriate behaviour. Employers will need to ensure that the whole team is up to date and that everyone knows what to do if they see or experience harassment.
3. Protecting those who speak up
An equally important part of the law is ensuring that those who come forward to report harassment are protected from retaliation. Employers need to actively prevent any victimisation of employees who raise issues or participate in investigations. The message is clear: people need to feel safe speaking out, without fear of any negative consequences.
1. Review your policies
You should develop an anti-harassment policy if you don’t have one already. You could include sexual harassment and other forms of harassment in one policy, or have two separate ones. Make sure you cover third-party harassment in the policy too.
Some of the most important things to include in your anti-harassment policy are:
- Who is protected
- A definition of sexual harassment and clear examples of it that are relevant to your workplace
- That sexual harassment is unlawful and will not be tolerated
- That harassment or victimisation could lead to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal
- That the law requires employers to take action to prevent third-party harassment
- That workers are encouraged to report third-party sexual harassment
You should review your policy regularly, including your staff in the process, and make any changes that may be required.
Other policies you may want to consider alongside an anti-harassment policy include a workplace violence prevention plan and health and safety policy.
2. Engage with and train your staff
Create an open and honest environment where staff feel comfortable to talk to managers about any concerns they have. You can do this through regular catch ups, staff surveys and exit interviews to demonstrate to employees that you care about their wellbeing. They will also help you to understand potential issues and risks and where you may need to make changes to policy.
Make sure all staff know how they can report sexual harassment, what your anti-harassment policy is, and what the consequences are if they breach the policy. You should conduct whole-company training that covers:
- What workplace sexual harassment looks like
- What to do if they experience or witness it
- How to handle complaints of harassment
You may also want to train staff in how to conduct dynamic risk assessments to help them assess their own risk wherever they are.
3. Assess and reduce risks in your workplace
Conduct a risk assessment to identify factors that may increase the likelihood of sexual harassment occurring and what steps you can take to minimise these risks, for example:
- Are there any power imbalances?
- Do staff ever work alone?
- Do staff socialise outside of work?
- Will staff ever attend external events like conferences, networking or training?
4. Create a centralised reporting system
Make it easy for victims or witnesses of sexual harassment to report it. Implement an electronic system that allows staff to raise issues anonymously (if they prefer), and make sure everyone is aware of how to use it.
A good reporting system will include:
- Guidance on what is considered unacceptable behaviour
- Centralised, confidential records of concerns raised
- Information on next steps or where to get further support
Staff need to be assured that reporting sexual harassment will not affect their job security or career progression and that all concerns will be taken seriously. Make sure your training and any formal or informal catch-ups are used to state the importance of reporting instances of harassment.
At Little Green Button, we’re already ahead of the curve with a new feature currently in exploration to help organisations meet their preventative duty.
Our upcoming feature will allow staff to anonymously flag any risks — including sexual harassment — via our panic alarm software. Whether on a desktop or mobile, employees will be able to submit concerns through an easy-to-use form. This information will then be captured and made accessible to nominated safeguarding personnel, who can review and take action accordingly through our management portal.
We’re working closely with our customers to ensure this feature meets their needs, and we’re confident it will provide an additional layer of safety and security in the workplace.
Want to learn more?
If you’re looking to get ahead of the upcoming legal changes, or you just want to know more about how our new feature can help your organisation, feel free to reach out to the team at Little Green Button. We’re here to help you build a safer workplace.