Panel will look at impact of harassment on businesses

A new panellist has ben added to an event looking at the issues surrounding harassment in the workplace.

The breakfast event will take a close look at the effects an incident can have on the reputation and operations of a business when it makes headlines for all the wrong reasons.

TheBusinessdesk.com is organising the event in partnership with law firm CMS.

And Gemma McCall, the managing director of Culture Shift, has been added to the panel.

Culture Shift has developed an online reporting platform which allows victims and witnesses of harassment to report it securely, either anonymously or named.

The firm initially worked in the university sector but is now expanding into corporate markets and taking its technology into workplaces.

Gemma has  hosted a number of webinars about employers responsibilities when it comes to harassment in the workplace and her particular passion is talking about not only what organisations are required to do by law, but what they can do to go further to ensure they’re looking after their people.

She was has recently had input into EHRC technical guidance on harassment in the workplace and has also been called on by the British Council and the Law Commission for her insights.

In today’s digital world businesses now have to work harder than ever before to protect their reputation and brand.

The growth in media platforms and the influence of social media mean just one complaint or allegation can inflict major damage on the strongest of brands.

Our panel of experts – from the legal, HR and communications sectors – will discuss how businesses can put into place strategies to deal with damaging and harmful allegations.

The discussion will look at how to deal with a crisis and what needs to be done to protect a brand, the potential impact on staff morale, the legal implications of any kind of harassment case and the long-term effects in terms of recruiting new staff.

The event is free to attend and demand for tickets is expected to be high so early booking is recommended.

Tickets can be booked here.

Also taking part in the discussion will be:

Rory Fletcher

Rory is a director at public relations firm Citypress and heads up the firm’s strategic media communications team.

Rory will share his expertise around how businesses navigate the modern communications landscape from a best practice perspective.

He will look at the key do’s and don’ts from a communications perspective when problems arise.

Rory advises clients on political and regulatory issues as part of a broader corporate reputation programme and he works alongside the firm’s media advisory team.

He has advised international brands in sectors including financial services, food and drink, supply chain, extractive industries and manufacturing.

Citypress is one of the leading PR firms in the North West and clients include Aldi, Unilever and CocaCola.

The firm specialises in crisis communications and offers media training and coaching to ensure crises are handled swiftly and effectively.

Megan Yates

Megan is head of customer engagement at Engage Your People and will be talking about how companies can create vibrant and engaging employee cultures, whilst avoiding the pitfalls that can lead to allegations of harassment

Engage Your People is a firm which harnesses the power of technology to work with firms to improve employee engagement in businesses.

It works with firms to improve the performance of people, while ensuring all employees feel valued and cared for by the business.

The firm was born out of technology firm Chess which has a track record when it comes to employee engagement.

Megan was instrumental in helping drive Chess from 63rd to first in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work for in the UK and it has since retained its place in the list for ten years.

Engage was launched last year at The Microsoft worldwide partner conference in Las Vegas and is an employee engagement tool with a difference.

Megan worked in a number of senior roles in Chess including HR, customer service, sales and leadership.

She now plays a key role as an industry disruptor.

Tracey Marsden

Tracey is a partner in CMS’s employment group with over 20 years’ experience, specialising in all aspects of employment law with experience of both contentious and non-contentious issues in the public and private sector.

She is also an experienced tribunal advocate.

Tracey will be sharing her expertise around the legal and regulatory requirements companies must comply with to ensure they are not vulnerable to claims and allegations.

She will also examine the legal do’s and don’ts companies need to be aware of when issues arise.

She advises on trade union and industrial relations issues, major business transfers, redundancy and restructuring programmes, TUPE related issues, in the areas of public procurement, mergers and acquisitions as well as on the appointment and exit of board directors and senior executives.

Her experience covers a wide range of clients in sectors, including energy, financial services, healthcare, infrastructure, retail technology, property and retail.

Tracey works both nationally and internationally.