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NLJ this week: Weak laws & the profound impact of workplace bullying

13 September 2024
Issue: 8085 / Categories: Legal News , Employment , Harassment , Abuse , Tribunals
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The current law is inadequate for addressing workplace bullying, Thomas Beale, partner & head of the bullying & harassment team at Bolt Burdon Kemp, writes in this week’s NLJ

Beale takes as illustration the latest scandal at the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, which is facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

While headline-grabbing, the BBC case is but one of many, and workplace bullying often does not come to light at all. Beale highlights the difficulties many victims face, writing how ‘for many, a fear of disbelief or lack of support from their employer can hinder their ability to come forward’.  

He looks at the current law, the obstacles therein, and potential moves to introduce more effective protection. Ultimately, employers have to do better.

Beale writes: ‘The psychological impact on individuals who have faced bullying in the workplace can be profound. In my experience, the most severely affected victims often suffer from long-term psychiatric injuries that have detrimental impacts on aspects of their daily lives, including their capacity to function in a similar workplace setting.’ 

Pictured: Amanda Abbington, who spoke out against Strictly Come Dancing.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Excello Law—five appointments

Excello Law—five appointments

Fee-share firm expands across key practice areas with senior appointments

Irwin Mitchell—Grace Morahan

Irwin Mitchell—Grace Morahan

International divorce team welcomes new hire

Switalskis—14 trainee solicitors

Switalskis—14 trainee solicitors

Firm welcomes largest training cohort in its history

NEWS
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
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