Historic allegations

While complaints of sexual harassment will usually only be considered at an employment tribunal if the worker makes a claim within three months from when the incident took place, conciliation service Acas says it is important not to disregard a complaint of sexual harassment that is reported much later than this.

Acas guidelines recommend that an employer should always take such a complaint very seriously. It calls on the employer to handle things in a way that is sensitive and fair to the worker who has made the complaint, anybody who has witnessed it and anybody who is being accused of sexual harassment. It is usually helpful for the worker and the employer to discuss what outcome is desired in these circumstances — sometimes it might be that the worker now feels confident enough to speak out and wants to make sure nobody else in their workplace experiences what they went through.