Equal Opportunities Commission

Search

E-news Issue 264

Back
Cover of the publication “Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Tips for SMEs”

EOC releases updated guide for SMEs to prevent sexual harassment

In the past three years, over 75% of sexual harassment complaints received by the EOC were employment-related. To equip employers – especially those with more limited resources – with an up-to-date knowledge of their potential liability under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO),  the EOC has released a new edition of its guide, “Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Tips for SMEs”. The publication covers everything from the definition of sexual harassment, example scenarios and common myths to how to establish a preventive policy and complaint-handling procedures.

Under the SDO, employers may be held vicariously liable for any unlawful act of sexual harassment committed by their employees in the course of employment, even if they had no knowledge of it. Following law amendments in 2020, potential liability has further extended to persons engaging interns and volunteers where the intern or volunteer sexually harasses another workplace participant at a common workplace.

A defence may be available if the employer (or the person engaging the intern or volunteer) can prove that they have taken reasonably practicable steps to prevent the act. Download the guide now and find out what this means in practice.

Top