Harassment | Common News Update

Feb82019 by adminNo Comments

Sir Philip Green 'paid employee £1m over harassment claims'

Sir Philip Green paid a female employee more than £1m to keep quiet after she accused him of kissing and groping her, the Daily Telegraph has reported.The paper said the senior female employee was one of five members of staff who signed gagging orders after being bullied or harassed.It reported a black male executive also received £1m after Sir Philip said he was "throwing spears in the jungle".The Topshop boss denies allegations he behaved wrongly.Lawyers representing Sir Philip told the Telegraph that he was a "passionate businessman, who can at times be over-exuberant and hot-headed" and that he could be "perceived at times as aggressive with senior and trusted staff".Sir Philip's lawyers added: "It is further denied that any of Sir Philip'...

Nov82018 by adminNo Comments

Google rewrites sexual harassment policy after protests

Technology

Google is rewriting its policies on workplace sexual harassment following a staff walkout over its perceived failings to tackle abuses. Last week, Google employees at offices around the world staged a walkout over the treatment of women at the company after sexual misconduct claims were made against several senior figures.In a letter sent to all employees, the company's chief executive Sundar Pichai said Google was updating its rules, including introducing a drinking limit for staff."Harassment is never acceptable and alcohol is never an excuse," Mr Pichai wrote."But one of the most common factors among the harassment complaints made today at Google is that the perpetrator had been drinking." Image: Google is rewriting its sexual...

Oct252018 by adminNo Comments

Google boss: 48 people sacked for sexual harassment

Technology

Google's chief executive has said 48 employees, including 13 senior managers, have been sacked for sexual harassment in two years. Sundar Pichai said the tech company had taken "an increasingly hard line" in responding to inappropriate conduct, according to a copy of an email sent to employees.The letter was a response to a New York Times article saying a senior Google employee, Android creator Andy Rubin, had received an exit package worth $ 90m (£70m) as he faced allegations of misconduct.Rubin left the company in 2014 with what the newspaper described as a "hero's farewell".Mr Pichai said the article had been "difficult to read".He added: "We are dead serious about making sure we provide a safe and inclusive workplace."We want to assure you that we review every sing...

Jun182018 by adminNo Comments

'Shocking' level of sexual harassment at music festivals

Entertainment

Nearly half of female festival goers (43%) under 40 say they have faced unwanted sexual behaviour at a music festival, a new survey suggests.Overall, 22% of all festival goers have faced assault or harassment, rising to 30% of women overall.The most common forms were unwelcome and forceful dancing and verbal sexualised harassment.YouGov surveyed 1,188 festival goers. The poll also suggested only 2% of such incidents were reported to police.Earlier this year, separate data released in the Crime Survey for England and Wales in February showed more than 80% of victims of sexual assault did not report it to police.Those statistics also revealed that one in five women had experienced some form of sexual assault since they turned 16.Th...

May242018 by adminNo Comments

Morgan Freeman apologises after sex harassment claims

Entertainment

US film star Morgan Freeman has apologised following allegations of sexual misconduct made by eight women and several other people.One production assistant accused Freeman of harassing her for months during filming of bank robbery comedy Going in Style, CNN reported.She said the 80-year-old touched her repeatedly, tried to lift her skirt and asked if she was wearing underwear.Freeman apologised to "anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected"."Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy," he said in a statement.Making women feel uncomfortable was "never my intent", he said.He is the latest well-known Hollywood figure to be accused of sexual...