Acas operates a nationwide telephone helpline for employers and employees, they can be contacted on: 03. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) also aims to support better employment relations by offering free impartial advice. The Management Standards help organisations manage the causes of work-related stress in a simple and pragmatic way. That’s why my Department’s supports the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards approach for work-related stress which includes a standard for relationships at work that covers unacceptable behaviour such as conflict, bullying and harassment. The best way to address unacceptable behaviour in the first instance is within the workplace. In addition, harassment is a criminal offence and victims have a right to damages.
This covers harassment on the grounds of sex, race, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation and age. The UK has a strong safety net of legislation to protect people from harassment in the workplace.
Bullying and harassment have no place in today’s workplace environment and are unacceptable wherever they occur.