In October this year, a new law will become enforceable for workplaces in the UK.

The Worker Protection Act means that employers must show they are taking reasonable measures to prevent sexual harassment.?

What does my organisation need to do??

To meet the legal requirements, employers and HR teams alike will need to align their leadership to this new law; review their policies and processes; and take steps to enable a?culture where everybody understands more about what sexual harassment is and feels safer to raise and talk about what’s happening.

We have a dedicated page with resources to help you get prepared.

We also have some recent media with more information:

• Listen to our podcast with our experts, joined by speak-up technology platform InChorus, covering the new legal and regulatory responsibilities for all employers on preventing sexual harassment at work.
• Read this article, as our resident expert Samantha Mangwana writes for Personnel Today on exactly what you can do to prepare for the new legislation.

Improving workplace mental health & wellbeing

You’ve likely heard the stat that at any given time, one in six UK workers experience symptoms associated with poor mental health.?

In 2023, nearly half of UK employers reported a rise in mental health issues from the previous year. This means that one in six figure is actually likely to be a fair bit higher, as of early 2024.

Mental health & wellbeing continues to be an integral focus for our work, and recently, we’ve been vocal on how it should be handled in workplaces:

• byrne·dean in Forbes: Two of our mental health experts, Mark O’Grady and Rachael Forsberg, were recently interviewed by Forbes on the link between Winter, mental health and productivity at work. They set out plenty of ideas for HR leaders to boost wellbeing during this colder and darker side of the year.?
• Mark O'Grady writes for the CIPD: It’s not just the weather driving the blues; employers contribute greatly themselves. Mark wrote a captivating piece in the CIPD’s magazine, People Management, on how businesses can also achieve a lasting and impactful approach to wellbeing all year round.
• Do wellbeing initiatives make a difference? Our expert Rachael Forsberg writes a blog responding to a Guardian columnist’s criticism of wellbeing initiatives. Rachael shows how an approach of workplace culture and structure - in tandem with proactive wellbeing initiatives - is how to truly make wellbeing work.
• A podcast on the truths about suicide: byrne·dean mental health expert, Richard Martin, held a powerful discussion with the UK’s leading expert on suicide, Rachel Gibbons, exploring some truths about the subject. Listen on our podcast channel Kinder regards.

Creating a culture of inclusion at Societe Generale

Would you like to know how Societe Generale's 2000-strong UK banking team built a culture of conscious inclusion?

As reported by The People Space, we partnered with the financial services firm to design and deliver a bespoke training program with 89% of their UK workforce - to connect with the concept of inclusion on an emotional level, and eventually facilitate their own conversations about inclusion at work.?

Read about it in full, here!

Kinder, fairer workplaces is brought to you by byrne·dean. If you would like to find out more, please get in touch.