header-logo header-logo

Tackling toxic workplaces

21 March 2025 / Thomas Beale
Issue: 8109 / Categories: Features , Harassment , Employment
printer mail-detail
211937
Is the law doing enough to protect employees from bullying & harassment? Thomas Beale examines recent reforms & considers what else is needed
  • Recent changes in the law have forced organisations to step up their anti-harassment policies, but the framework still fails to hold employers sufficiently accountable for bullying and harassment.
  • A legal definition of workplace bullying is urgently needed so that victims can seek protection and restitution in the law.

Recent figures from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Good Work Index indicate that a quarter of surveyed employees have experienced some form of conflict or abuse within the past 12 months, highlighting that workplace bullying remains a prevalent issue in the UK.

Regrettably, the inappropriate normalisation of uncivil behaviour in the workplace often leads to its dismissal as mere ‘banter’, significantly minimising its severity. The short and long-term psychological consequences for victims are frequently overlooked or trivialised, resulting in individuals feeling unable to come forward for fear of invalidation.

Employers can play a crucial role in combating

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clyde & Co—Sian Langer & Gemma Parker

Clyde & Co—Sian Langer & Gemma Parker

Firm strengthens catastrophic injury capability with partner promotions

DWF—Dean Gormley

DWF—Dean Gormley

Finance and restructuring team offering expands in Manchester with partner hire

Taylor Rose—Vicki Maflin

Taylor Rose—Vicki Maflin

Firm announces appointment of head of remortgage

NEWS
From gender-critical speech to notice periods and incapability dismissals, employment law continues to turn on fine distinctions. In his latest employment law brief for NLJ, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School reviews a cluster of recent decisions, led by Bailey v Stonewall, where the Court of Appeal clarified the limits of third-party liability under the Equality Act
Non-molestation orders are meant to be the frontline defence against domestic abuse, yet their enforcement often falls short. Writing in NLJ this week, Jeni Kavanagh, Jessica Mortimer and Oliver Kavanagh analyse why the criminalisation of breach has failed to deliver consistent protection
Assisted dying remains one of the most fraught fault lines in English law, where compassion and criminal liability sit uncomfortably close. Writing in NLJ this week, Julie Gowland and Barny Croft of Birketts examine how acts motivated by care—booking travel, completing paperwork, or offering emotional support—can still fall within the wide reach of the Suicide Act 1961
The long-awaited Getty Images v Stability AI judgment arrived at the end of last year—but not with the seismic impact many expected. In this week's issue of NLJ, experts from Arnold & Porter dissect a ruling that is ‘historic’ yet tightly confined
The UK Supreme Court may be deciding fewer cases, but its impact in 2025 was anything but muted. In this week's NLJ, Professor Emeritus Brice Dickson of Queen’s University Belfast reviews a year marked by historically low output, a striking rise in jointly authored judgments, and a continued decline in dissent. High-profile rulings on biological sex under the Equality Act, public access to Dartmoor, and fairness in sexual offence trials ensured the court’s voice carried far beyond the Strand
back-to-top-scroll