The above story, and its counterparts, feature somewhat innocuously on the national news. However, what may have been missed by the wider audience is that this demonstrates the seismic change that is now underway in respect of harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace.
The advent of new legislation that came into effect in October 2024 now very much places the onus on employers to implement 'reasonable measures' to prevent harm occurring in the workplace. It is the employers' responsibility to take steps to proactively mitigate the potential of harm occurring. This is further supported by additional measures that must be taken throughout any investigation, the support and protection that must be offered as well as the reporting of outcomes.
In addition to this, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has additional enforcement powers, enabling them to review businesses/organisations' processes around the matter and, if they are found to be wanting, the EHRC has the ability to increase a claimant's compensation award by up to 25%.
As someone who works within this sphere, who has helped organisations address their culture around this issue and implement positive change, this is a welcome addition to the workplace in my opinion. This does, however, mean that organisations, in some instances, will have an awful lot of work to do to get them to the compliant space where they need to be.
Organisations' awareness of these changes is likely in its infancy and, as such, McDonald's may well be the first in the news, but I'd wager they won't be the last, not by a long way.
Every McDonald's warned over staff sexual abuse
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