Hi there,
This is your monthly roundup of Spot product updates and DEI-related content.
The UK Worker Protection Act 2023 Deep Dive
So many new regulations, so little time! This month we’re going to deep dive into the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, a UK law with a compliance deadline of October 26, 2024. The law aims to shore up protections for employees against sexual harassment in the workplace by requiring preventative actions and increasing penalties.
What is the Worker Protection Act 2023?
The WPA 2023 is an amendment to the 2010 Equality Act and mandates two main things that employers need to be aware of:
- Duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment: Employers must now take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. This shift in focus from reaction to prevention requires proactive measures from employers to address and mitigate sexual harassment.
- Increased claim compensation: If an employer is found not to have taken reasonable steps to prevent the behavior, employment tribunals will have the authority to increase sexual harassment compensation by up to 25%. Given that compensation in severe cases can exceed £50,000, this could be substantial.
What “reasonable steps” do UK employers need to take?
According to technical guidance released by the Equality and Human Rights Commission two weeks ago,
What is reasonable will vary from employer to employer and will depend on factors such as (but not limited to) the employer’s size, the sector it operates in, the working environment and its resources. There are no particular criteria or minimum standards an employer must meet. Different employers may prevent sexual harassment in different ways, but no employer is exempt from the sexual harassment preventative duty.
Broadly, most groups are recommending these preventative and responsive measures:
- Policies: Review and update your anti-harassment and dignity at work policies. Communicate (or re-communicate) these to reinforce the expected standards of behavior and inform employees of protections.
- Training: Provide sexual harassment prevention training regularly to all employees. Training should be current and comprehensive, going beyond mere tick-box exercises to meet the “reasonable steps” defense.
- Reporting and investigation tool: Set up a reporting tool that allows for investigation of incidents even if reports are anonymous. Communicate (or re-communicate) procedures for this tool to all employees so they know how to speak up about harassment should it occur. Encourage them to do so.
Spot can help!
Spot provides anonymous incident reporting, case management, and sexual harassment prevention training in a single platform. We’ll also be partnering with a UK-based organization to roll out a comprehensive investigations service for compliance with the WPA 2023.
This 🐻 🐻 Repeating
Spot can also help with SB 553 compliance! If you have 10 or more employees who work on-site in California, you may need to comply with the state’s new Workplace Violence Prevention Bill.
Spot provides a violent incident workflow that fulfills SB 553’s requirements for an incident log.
How to Add the Violent Incident Log If You’re a Spot Customer
- Log in to your admin dashboard
- Go to Settings > Case Management Settings
- Check the box next to Report Workplace Violence under “Interviews for incident reporting”
- If you’re on an enterprise account and have customized interviews, you may need to reach out to us to add the log
Not a Spot Customer? Get It By Tomorrow
- The deadline for SB 553 compliance was July 1, 2024. Reach out to get a Spot instance set up in less than 24 hours.
- You can also sign up here: talktospot.com/buy
If you have questions about any of this, please reach out directly at hello@talktospot.com
