Harassment | Common News Update

Mar262019 by adminNo Comments

Lloyd's of London pledges action after sexual harassment report

By John-Paul Ford Rojas, business reporter Insurance market Lloyd's of London has pledged to take action after a "distressing" report highlighting a culture of sexual harassment of women who work there.It said it would set up a confidential process for reporting inappropriate behaviour and impose sanctions including possible life bans for those found responsible. The pledge comes after a report by Bloomberg last week, drawing on the experiences of 18 women, described a deep-seated culture of sexual harassment at the centuries-old institution.It said this ranged from inappropriate comments to unwanted touching and assault.Lloyd's chief executive John Neal said: "It has been distressing to hear about the experiences of women in the Lloyd's market. ...

Feb82019 by adminNo Comments

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

Business

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...