Harassment in the work place is a serious matter, given the devastating impact it can have on a victim's life.
North West England Hostile Workplace Solicitors
At Tobins Solicitors LLP, we provide advice, services and representation to employees and employers in matters involving harassment in the workplace. Our expert solicitors have extensive experience in this area of employment law and the ability to obtain results for our clients in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
What Is Harassment?
Harassment covers a wide range of conduct from seemingly innocuous treatment such as name calling and teasing all the way through to serious criminal assault. A single act may be enough if it is sufficiently serious. Common examples include:
- Spoken or written words
- Imagery or graffiti
- Physical gestures (including facial gestures)
- Mimicry, jokes and pranks
- Office bullying
If it is sufficiently serious an employee may resign and claim constructive unfair dismissal. In addition, depending on the nature of the unwanted conduct, it may be possible to claim under the Equality Act 2010 if the unwanted conduct is related to a "protected characteristic" such as the person's sex, age or race.
Under the Equality Act 2010 employers are also liable for the persistent harassment of their employees by third parties, and an employer is liable for the acts of harassment carried out by employees in the course of their employment. The employer has a defence that it took all reasonable steps to prevent the employee from carrying out the act.
Assessing a Case
Perhaps the most important task we undertake is assessing the evidence that harassment occurred. For example, did the employee report it at the time to management or his or her doctor? What did the employer do? Witnesses are helpful but not necessary to a successful claim.
Contact Tobins Solicitors LLP
For a free initial telephone consultation with our Manchester harassment solicitors to discuss your harassment issue, contact our firm.
