All Lichfields staff have the right to be treated with dignity and respect by their colleagues. The company is committed to providing a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, and victimisation. Such behaviours detract from a productive working environment and can negatively impact the health, confidence, morale, and performance of those affected, including anyone who witnesses or is aware of the unwanted behaviour. These actions are unacceptable, and Lichfields has a legal duty to protect its staff from them.
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects individuals from discrimination on the grounds of age, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, disability, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief (or lack of belief), sex, and sexual orientation. These are known as protected characteristics. Additionally, under the Worker Protection Act (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) 2023, Lichfields is committed to taking reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
This duty reinforces our obligation to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all employees and establishes accountability for taking preventive measures.
Discrimination can be:
- Direct: treating someone with a protected characteristic less favourably than others.
- Indirect: applying rules or policies which put someone with a protected characteristic at an unfair disadvantage.
Protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
The Equality Act also covers those associated with individuals who have a protected characteristic or those who have raised or supported a complaint about discrimination.
Harassment is defined as unwanted behaviour linked to a protected characteristic which violates someone’s dignity or creates an intimidating, degrading, or offensive environment. Harassment can take various forms, including:
- Written, verbal, non-verbal, or electronic communication.
- Acts of humiliation, ridicule, or unwelcome attention.
- Intimidation, physical threats, or violence.
Harassment may occur as a single incident or a series of incidents and may not always be directed at or about the person making the complaint. It is important to note that harassment may not always be intentional but is always unacceptable.
It is also unlawful to subject someone to sexual harassment, which is defined as unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, and/or conduct which happens as a result of someone rejecting conduct of a sexual nature or submitting to sexual harassment.
Bullying is the exercise of power over another person through persistent, negative behaviours which undermine them personally or professionally. Bullying may include:
- Threatening, abusive, or intimidating actions.
- Constant criticism without constructive support.
- Cyberbullying: using the internet or other technologies to harm another person deliberately and repeatedly.
Such behaviour affects individuals’ self-confidence and self-esteem and can result in isolation or exclusion from workplace activities.
Victimisation: Receiving negative treatment as a result of being involved with a discrimination or harassment complaint. Lichfields will not tolerate victimisation against staff who have made or intend to make a complaint or allegation, or who have given, or intend to give, assistance or evidence in an investigation. This extends to victimisation or discrimination against former employees, such as refusing to provide a reference due to a complaint they raised while employed.
All staff are responsible for ensuring they do not engage in or permit any form of the above. Under the new statutory duty introduced in 2024, employers are required to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, ensuring a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all.
It is a contractual requirement that staff adhere to our policy.
We all play a vital role in creating a respectful workplace. By adhering to our policy, we can ensure a safe and productive environment for everyone.
