Gregg Wallace, host of MasterChef, has been accused of inappropriate sexual comments and behaviour towards women. It is alleged that this conduct has gone on unaddressed, and in plain sight, for a number of years.
Reports suggest that the production company (Banijay UK) and the BBC turned a blind eye to this despite a number of complaints having been made. Now that this is in the public domain, Gregg Wallace has stepped down from MasterChef whilst an investigation into the alleged misconduct takes place.
However, he has since posted videos on Instagram where he has referred to the individuals making allegations as ‘middle-aged women of a certain age’. This has increased public backlash and caused further controversy for him, the production company and the BBC. There have been calls for all episodes of MasterChef to be taken off air whilst the investigation is ongoing.
From 26 October 2024, there is a new legal duty for employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Failure to do so can result in a 25% uplift on compensation should an employee bring a successful claim for sexual harassment.
Carrying out an investigation after the event, as appears to be happening on this occasion, will not be sufficient for an employer to avoid liability for sexual harassment claims. Instead, employers need to proactively take steps to assess and manage the risk of sexual harassment occurring in the first place. There are a number of ways this can be done – policies, risk assessments and monitoring are a good place to start.
This issue also highlights the need for companies to have a robust and thorough social media policy, confirming what is and is not acceptable for employees to post on social media, and the consequences if inappropriate content is posted.
Glaisyers’ Employment team is currently offering in-person training regarding preventing harassment in the workplace – see details here. This interactive and tailored training will help your organisation show that it has taken steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, which is required by the new legislation.
If you are interested in hearing more about this or would like a review of your social media policy, please contact the Employment team.
