Close Menu
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing & Mental Health
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
Trending
  • New Venture Aims To Help Propel Growth For Start-Ups
  • Building community, one cause at a time
  • How to build a £1 million pension and ISA portfolio
  • 5 Reasons Why Every Office Should Include Flexible Spaces to Work and Their Key Benefits
  • Pension reforms risk higher prices, fewer jobs and slower growth, FSB warns
  • Building Trust in AI Through a Decision-Centric Approach in Manufacturing
  • In Profile: Michael Stausholm, founder and CEO of SproutWorld
  • A beginner’s guide to growth shares (and why they’re so popular right now)
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
You are at:Home»Legal»New laws put added pressure on employers this Christmas Party season

New laws put added pressure on employers this Christmas Party season

0
Posted By sme-admin on December 10, 2024 HR & Recruitment, Legal

As the season for annual office Christmas parties kicks-off, employers are being warned to remember new responsibilities on them brought in by the recent additions to the Equality Act.

Emma-Louise Hewitt, Partner and Head of the Employment Department, Sydney Mitchell.

 “The Duty Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 came into force on 26 October 2024, and requires employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers,” explains Emma-Louise Hewitt, Head of the Employment Law team at law firm Sydney Mitchell, which provides employment law advice and solutions to local and national businesses.

 “Previously there was no proactive obligation on employers, but they are now required to actively consider the risks of sexual harassment happening in their workplace and take active steps to prevent harassment.

“Ahead of this year’s Christmas Party season, all employers should ensure they have the relevant policies and procedures setting out the expectations on standards of behaviour for all staff, both in the office and at work related functions including the office Christmas party,” Emma-Louise says.

 “They should also ensure they are up to date on their responsibilities in relation to parties or events they organise or sponsor to mark the festive season, especially given that this obligation also extends to third parties.

 “To avoid any non-compliance with the law, employers should remind employees and anyone else attending the work Christmas party celebrations of the Company Policies and Procedures governing their behaviour and expectations. Employees should also be reminded that the Christmas party is organised by their employer, and so they should adhere to the expectations of their employer. All of this can be set-out in a short pre-party email to outline and remind employees of the expected standards.

 “It may seem a tad draconian and Scrooge-like, but taking this approach could save an employer a lot of stress and financial risk. After all, it is the employer who will have to answer for the actions or risks to welfare of the employees at the event, and Employment Tribunals are often tasked with ruling on whose been ‘naughty or nice’ at the office Christmas party.”

 Equality Act 2010

Under equality law, employers have a positive legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. The Equality Act 2010 defines sexual harassment as unwanted conduct of a sexual nature which has the purpose or effect of violating someone’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them.

This responsibility is known as the preventative duty, and is designed to improve workplace cultures by requiring employers to anticipate how sexual harassment might happen in their workplace and take proactive reasonable steps to prevent it happening. If employers do not comply, they are breaking the law.

If an employer fails to take reasonable steps, the Equality and Human Rights Commission can take enforcement action.

Sexual Harassment

Following the implementation of the Duty Worker Protection as part of the Act, employers are required to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. These could include:

  • Having a clear and specific policy on sexual harassment.
  • Providing training for all employees.
  • Considering what third parties your employees might be in contact with.

An employers failure to act leads to an increased risk of an employment tribunal, with increasing compensation if an individual’s claim of sexual harassment is successful.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

5 Reasons Why Every Office Should Include Flexible Spaces to Work and Their Key Benefits

Leading the future: Redefining leadership in the era of agentic AI

If Your Company Isn’t Thriving, Your Culture Might Be the Problem

Comments are closed.

Follow SME Today on Linkedin and share all the topics you find interesting
Verify your identity for Companies House

The Newsletter

Join our mailing list for the best SME stories, handpicked and delivered direct to your inbox every two weeks!

Sign Up
Events Calendar
    • Marketing
    July 7, 2025

    Bold Business Marketing Specialist Speaks In Swindon This Week

    July 4, 2025

    How Generative AI is Giving SMEs a Marketing Edge

    • Finance
    July 10, 2025

    How to build a £1 million pension and ISA portfolio

    July 10, 2025

    Pension reforms risk higher prices, fewer jobs and slower growth, FSB warns

    • Health & Safety
    July 1, 2025

    Temperatures Soaring: Is Your Workplace Becoming Unsafe?

    January 29, 2025

    UK takeaways guilty of shocking hygiene failures:

    • Events
    July 4, 2025

    £20k grant for female-founded SME up for grabs

    July 2, 2025

    As Seen on BBC Panorama – Brad Burton to Headline The South West Expo in Swindon

    • Community
    July 11, 2025

    Building community, one cause at a time

    June 23, 2025

    Celebrating One Year In Fairford Supporting The Community

    • Food & Drink
    June 23, 2025

    England Cricket Captain, Ben Stokes OBE, takes a stake in Spencer Matthews’ alcohol-free spirits brand, CleanCo

    June 16, 2025

    Hospitality industry risks collapse

    • Books
    April 24, 2025

    Values-Driven Professionalism: A Path to Client Loyalty

    December 2, 2024

    Banish the banshee boss: how to lead without fear – addressing the issue of fear-based management and how NOT to be this manager

    About

    SME Today is published by the same team who deliver The Great British Expos’. We have been organising various corporate events for the last 10 years, with a strong track record of producing well managed and attended business events across the UK.

    Join Our Mailing List

    Receive the latest news and updates from SMEToday.
    Read our Latest Newsletter:


    Sign Up
    X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    Most Recent Posts
    July 11, 2025

    New Venture Aims To Help Propel Growth For Start-Ups

    July 11, 2025

    Building community, one cause at a time

    July 10, 2025

    How to build a £1 million pension and ISA portfolio

    July 10, 2025

    5 Reasons Why Every Office Should Include Flexible Spaces to Work and Their Key Benefits

    July 10, 2025

    Pension reforms risk higher prices, fewer jobs and slower growth, FSB warns

    Categories
    • Books
    • Community & Charity
    • Education and Training
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Features
    • Finance
    • Food and Drink
    • Health & Safety
    • HR & Recruitment
    • In Profile
    • Legal
    • Marketing
    • News
    • Property & Development
    • Sponsored Content
    • Technology
    • Transport & Tourism
    • Wellbeing & Mental Health

    Copyright © 2020 SME Today.

    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    Copyright © 2025 SME Today.
    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Privacy
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.