CIPD response to Labour plans to bolster protections against sexual harassment at work

In response to Labour’s proposal to extend protections around sexual harassment to interns and people on work experience, Ben Willmott head of public policy for the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, comments:

“Strengthening the law to require employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment could play a positive role in helping to stop this sort of behaviour and addressing toxic workplace cultures where they exist.

"However, there is already a duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment and any revision to the law would only have impact on workplace practices and behaviours if there was much more effective enforcement of employment regulation. This would need to include more support on compliance for employers, particularly SMEs, to ensure they understand the law and how to improve their people management practices to meet its requirements.”