Haringey Council is set to introduce a new policy aimed at preventing sexual harassment in the workplace, reinforcing its commitment to a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all employees.
The new Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Work Policy was discussed at the General Purposes Committee meeting on 1 July 2025. The policy aims to protect all employees from inappropriate behaviour and ensure concerns are handled fairly and effectively. It references the Equality Act 2010, which provides protection against sexual harassment and harassment related to protected characteristics.
The policy also references the Worker Protection Act, which places a legal duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.
The General Purposes Committee also discussed proposed changes to other HR policies, including those related to acting up, honorariums, secondments, and parental leave. These changes were detailed in the HR Policies report presented at the meeting.
The Acting Up, Honorarium and Secondment Policy proposes reducing the maximum length of acting up arrangements from 24 months to 12 months, and honorarium arrangements from 12 months to 6 months, unless there are exceptional circumstances. The policy has also been updated to provide clearer guidance on incremental progression for employees who are temporarily acting in a higher role or receiving an honorarium payment.
Revisions are also proposed to the Parental Leave Policy to extend pay and leave provisions for employees who become a special guardian or kinship carer. The proposal is to give employees taking on special guardianship or kinship care the same provisions as those adopting a child. For those with over 1 year's continuous service, this would mean 14 weeks full pay or 8 weeks full pay and 12 weeks half pay.