Harassment

Q        One of my male employees is complaining that he is being sexually harassed by a female colleague.  Surely only females are protected by the Sex Discrimination Act?

A        Wrong, all employees are protected on the basis of their sex and can present claims of discrimination or harassment at an employment tribunal.  Complaints from men should be taken as seriously as those raised by women.

Q        As an engineering company, banter between colleagues has always been commonplace.  I'm aware that one of my new recruits is gay, and although I'm not aware of any jokes being directed at him, I have heard some staff making derogatory comments about gay people.  I told the new recruit at interview about the banter, and it's generally accepted in this type of environment, so surely I don't need to intervene?

A        This is a tricky situation. You don't want to create an environment where employees can't have a bit of banter at work, but equally you can't afford to risk offending employees on the basis of their sexual orientation.  Comments don't have to be made directly to an employee so you do need to ensure that the banter isn't going too far and is appropriate in the work environment.

Q        One of our female employees always dresses in a masculine way and although she is married and has children, I've heard her workmates make jokes about her being a lesbian.  Since we all know that it is not true, I don't have to do anything about it, do I?

A        Yes you do.  Homophobic harassment is unacceptable whether based in truth or not.