In response to growing concerns over workplace harassment and misconduct, the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) has introduced a new framework to promote safe, inclusive and accountable working environments across the creative sector. Developed through extensive industry consultation, these standards set clear expectations for professional behaviour, encouraging organisations to strengthen their internal policies and reporting mechanisms. While not legally binding, the guidelines arrive at a critical moment, complementing recent legal changes that place a greater duty on employers to prevent workplace harassment before it occurs.
The new standards
The standards aim to create a single, unified vision of professional behaviour with a focus on promoting dignity, inclusion and accountability within the sector. Although these standards are not legally binding, CIISA encourages organisations to use the standards to assess and improve their internal policies, ensuring that their workforce understands what constitutes unacceptable behaviour and how to report concerns. These guidelines come at a time when the creative sector has faced heightened scrutiny over allegations of bullying and harassment, including many cases with high-profile individuals.
What areas do the standards cover?
The guidelines cover four main areas of concern:
- safe working environments;
- inclusive workplaces;
- clear reporting mechanisms; and
- a culture of learning and improvement.
The duty to prevent sexual harassment
The introduction of CIISA’s standards follows the recent changes in employment law, which place a new legal obligation on employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The new duty requires organisations to take “reasonable steps” to stop harassment before it occurs. Failure to take proactive measures can result in enforcement action, including potential compensation uplifts of up to 25% in employment tribunal cases. The law also pushes employers to consider risks posed by third-party harassment, even though it does not directly reinstate liability for such incidents.
We discuss our practical tips for employers for carrying out risk assessments to fulfil this duty here, many of which mirror the steps the CIISA’s guidance encourages employers to take.
The CIISA standards cover all forms of harassment and we have previously written about the risks for employers of focusing on preventing sexual harassment to the exclusion of harassment based on other relevant protected characteristics. You can read more in our insight.
What does this mean for employers?
These developments signal a shift from reactive compliance to proactive prevention. The CIISA expects employers to go beyond basic anti-harassment policies and demonstrate active commitment to tackling workplace misconduct, for example by:
- reviewing and updating workplace policies to comprehensively align with the CIISA’s standards and the new legal duty to prevent harassment;
- conducting regular training for staff and managers on appropriate workplace conduct and how to handle complaints;
- providing confidential and dedicated reporting channels for harassment concerns; and
- ensuring senior leaders set the tone for expected workplace behaviour and take swift action when issues arise to show accountability at a leadership level.
While the CIISA has designed these new standards for the creative sector, their principles of dignity, inclusion and accountability are relevant across all industries. Their publication is a good reminder of the need for all employers to take proactive steps to prevent harassment in the workplace to avoid falling short of the new duty’s requirements and minimise the risk associated with employment tribunal claims.
