Sexual harassment and the law: the British experience

Abstract

PurposeTo explore key legal issues surrounding sexual harassment claims made to employment tribunals and the courts.Design/methodology/approachThis entails qualitative legal analysis of case decisions. This will involve an exposition of the reasoning behind legal decisions and a critical examination of the courts' or tribunals' interpretation of the law.FindingsThe research provides information about features and trends in sexual harassment litigation in Britain.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper outlines a set of preliminary results from an analysis of some sexual harassment cases heard in Britain.Practical implicationsHighlights key implications of legal decisions for human resource policy and practice in organizations. It will also identify deficiencies in management practice that lead to instances of sexual harassment taking place.Originality/valueScholars and policymakers in organizations should be interested in an integrated analysis of legal and organizational issues with respect to sexual harassment. The wider potential of the research is supported by the interest of the Equal Opportunities Commission and the willingness of the Commission to be named as an end user of the study.