Rebecca Tuck QC has contributed to an article published by the International Employment Lawyer entitled “Antisemitism is on the rise. Here is how to tackle it in the workplace” on Thursday 17th February 2022.
Empowering workers
By listening to employees’ concerns, genuinely investigating grievances, understanding and adopting the IHRA guidance, and including it in discrimination training, organisations can create a safer and more inclusive space for their Jewish workers.
In addition, Rebecca Tuck QC, head of Old Square Chambers’ employment group in London, encourages employers to consider active bystander training for all staff. “Whether it’s antisemitism, Islamophobia, or the trans-gender-critical debate, it is important to educate and empower workers on how they can call out something they don’t feel comfortable with,” she says.
Explaining the concept of being an active bystander, Tuck QC says: “If you hear a comment in the workplace that is inappropriate, what do you do about it? Depending on your seniority in relation to the person who said it, and how confident you feel, you can try and divert attention from it; you can delay and deal with it later; or you can be direct and challenge them then and there.
“It’s really great when you see organisations engaging with how they empower their workplace because it’s not enough to have a policy that says antisemitism will be treated as gross misconduct; it’s how you have a workplace in which antisemitism isn’t going to happen.”
You can read the full article via the International Employment Lawyer website here (subscription needed).
