From 7-10 October, the annual conference of the International Bar Association was held in Boston, USA.
Christiaan Oberman was one of the lecturers at this conference. He spoke about ‘Bullying and harassment in the workplace in the Netherlands’.
In some jurisdictions, unlawful harassment is equated with sexual harassment, and the inquiry goes no further. However, many jurisdictions prohibit with equal fervour practices that amount to bullying, or €˜mobbing€™. As the psychological work environment is under increased focus, these cases are also increasing, as is the response of legislators and regulators. The session will focus on the different legal developments around the world. Through practical examples, the panel of experts will investigate how multinationals prevent these cases. The issues include:
€¢ How companies keep off the pressure in an increasingly pressurised work environment €¢ Workplace assessments €¢ Developments in the concept of harassment and mobbing €“ legal and cultural differences €¢ Internal investigations and the protection of the offender and/or victim €¢ Choice of law problems and the possible extraterritorial application of discrimination laws Stephan Swinkels, Executive Director of L&E Global, wrote a blog for The Lawyer providing a summary of the activities and lectures at the IBA in Boston.