Ikea UK has struck an agreement to strengthen its sexual harassment policies and procedures after a complaint by a former employee.
The agreement was reached with the Equality and Human Rights Commission after complaints management at one of Ikea UK’s UK stores failed to properly respond to allegations of sexual assault and harassment, which were brought to the attention of the EHRC.
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Ikea UK has now agreed to assess how it handles sexual harassment and comply with its obligations under the Equality Act 2010, according to a statement from the EHRC.
The agreement is likely to last until August 2025.
Kishwer Falkner, chair of the EHRC, said: “No matter how big or small, every employer is responsible for protecting its workforce and sexual harassment should not be tolerated.
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“As Britain’s equality regulator, we help employers to understand the law and we take action to prevent it from being breached.
“In signing this agreement, Ikea UK has taken an important step towards ensuring their staff are better protected from harassment.”
Ikea UK has 22 stores in the UK and more than 11,700 staff.
Source: The Guardian