Can you be harassed in employment law if you weren’t aware of the harassing conduct at the time?

Harassment law is a well utilised area of employment law; its protection ensures people feel safe at work and are not subjected to unlawful conduct regarding a protected characteristic. However, it is also a tricky area of law; the construction of the law is such that a harasser can be liable for conduct that has the purpose OR the effect of creating a humiliating/offensive etc environment for an individual. In layman’s terms, this means that the individual needn’t intend to insult or offend an individual by their conduct, but that harassment could occur in any case. When considering whether a…

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Hina Belitz appears on TalkTV discussing the BBC Presenter Scandal

It's been a whirlwind few days for our Partner Hina Belitz, who was invited onto Vanessa Feltz's TalkTV show on Tuesday evening to discuss the BBC Presenter scandal and its impact on the BBC as an employer. It might be hard to remember where we were in the story at that point; we didn't have a name for the presenter (who has subsequently been revealed as BBC News' Huw Edwards) and more stories regarding other young people's relationships with the presenter were coming to light. Hina was grilled by Vanessa on questions such as the BBC's position regarding a dismissal…

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Hina on Times Radio discussing BBC Presenter Scandal

Our Partner Hina Belitz was invited this morning once again onto Times Radio, this time with Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell to discuss the most recent media personality employment scandal; the unnamed BBC presenter accused of paying £35,000 for illicit pictures of a 17 year old. Hina answered questions regarding the employment impact of the BBC's decision to suspend the employee in question, what obligations the BBC were under when they first received notice of this allegation and more. To hear Hina's take on this, please go to 1 hour 13 on this link, or watch online on youtube here. …

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Hina Belitz publishes expert analysis of ITV's Schofield Saga with Law360.com

Hina Belitz has had the opportunity to comment in depth on the key employment law matter of ITV's 'Schofield Saga' in a new piece with Law360.com. The article can be found here, and the text is reproduced below: In May, Phillip Schofield, a familiar face of daytime television, resigned from ITV after admitting to a sexual affair with a younger staff member. Importantly, it was an affair both sides had lied about having had, and such lies could work in ITV's favor. Any employee who lies to an employer could be fairly and reasonably be dismissed by an…

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Hina Belitz provides expert comments to investigation into Sexual Harassment - BMJ and the Guardian

Hina Belitz can now reveal she has been working with Journalists from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in a shocking piece of investigative reporting regarding sexual harassment in our health services. Hina’s comments have been published in the British Medical Journal here, and are reproduced below. Hina Belitz, an employment lawyer at Partners Employment Lawyers, said the volume of legal claims did not reflect the true number of sexual incidents, many of which are never reported, for various reasons. And of these a “good percentage” would not result in a payout, she said. “You can almost think of it as…

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