Managing people in a higher-stakes workplace

A conversation series with Littler

 Third-party harassment and the October 2026 duty

With Philip Cameron, Partner at Littler, and Amanda Okill, Principal Consultant at Byrne Dean

From October 2026, employers are responsible for harassment of staff by clients, customers and contractors – across any protected characteristic. Philip Cameron explains what the duty requires; Amanda Okill explores the cultural shift it demands, and what it means to give managers the permission and backing to act.

Managing people in a higher-stakes workplace

A conversation series with Littler

Episode two: The first six months

Managing probation in a six-month unfair dismissal world

With Laura Lobb, Partner at Littler, and Amanda Okill, Principal Consultant at Byrne Dean

From January 2027, employees can bring unfair dismissal claims after just six months – and the compensation cap is being removed. For managers used to a longer settling-in window, this changes everything. Laura Lobb explains the legal shift; Amanda Okill explores what managers need to do differently to make probation count.

Managing people in a higher-stakes workplace

A conversation series with Littler

Fostering a speak-up culture in a higher-stakes legal environment

With Natasha Adom, Partner and Head of Client Training at Littler, and Amanda Okill, Principal Consultant at Byrne Dean

From October 2026, the duty shifts to "all reasonable steps" – and NDAs can no longer silence complaints. Natasha Adom unpacks the legal changes; Amanda Okill explores what they require of managers in practice. Safe cultures are built in everyday moments, not open-door policies.

It’s more important than ever to think about regulatory risk and how to mitigate it. Particularly with the growing focus on misconduct, both financial and non-financial, by the FCA and the PRA. 

Byrne Dean’s Ellie Herriot is joined by Jo Szulikowski, Head of Learning Operations at Phoenix Group, to discuss how (and why) building the right culture can manage risk whilst also allowing employees to thrive.

There are new legal and regulatory responsibilities for all employers on preventing sexual harassment at work.

In October this year, every UK employer must show that they are taking reasonable measures to prevent it, whilst new FCA regulatory updates set clear expectations on non-financial misconduct for all financial services companies.

Two prominent byrne·dean experts join the Co-Founder of InChorus, a tech platform to report and measure workplace harassment, to discuss the changes and what employers must now do.

⁠Richard Martin⁠ chats to the UK’s leading expert on suicide, consultant psychiatrist ⁠Rachel Gibbons⁠. Rachel has written a paper titled, ⁠Eight ‘truths’ about suicide⁠ which is available to our listeners.

Today is World Menopause Day and we’ve released a podcast dedicated to the Menopause and the workplace.

In 2022, 9 in 10 working women don’t even know if their employer has a menopause policy in place, as highlighted by our partners GenM.

Why is it so important? Why is this getting more attention now? Why is it still difficult for so many people to talk about at work? What can leaders do at their own workplaces?

Our experts Amanda Okill, Richard Martin and Ellie Herriott discuss in detail, sharing some actions leaders can take right now. We’re always here if any workplaces need guidance.

The UK workforce as a whole is ageing and menopausal women are the fastest growing demographic in the workplace. (Source, Office for National Statistics, 2019).

Harvard Business Review published results of an open-ended survey research of 913 women leaders from four United States industries (higher education, faith-based nonprofits, law, and health care). It picked up on negative assumptions about women of all ages but when it comes to older women, as one physician noted ‘While men become wells of wisdom as they age, older women are seen as outdated, harpy, strident". (Source, Harvard Business Review, 2023)

GenM 2022 visibility report, 2022. Referenced throughout.

Poor mental health costs UK employers £56bn each year in lost productivity. Addressing it is something you should be investing in, not cutting back on.

We’re big believers of Samaritans #BrewMonday spin on #BlueMonday, encouraging everyone to have a cuppa and a chat. Some of our principal consultants, Richard Martin, Rachael Forsberg and Mark O’Grady did just that in our latest podcast, to talk about the big themes for mental health at work we can all expect in 2023.

How do you navigate the complex situation of when a colleague loses a loved one? Research suggests as many as 24% of all UK employees are bereaved in any one year. It’s undeniably a part of our working life.

We’re so incredibly proud of our amazing Mark O’Grady and Victoria Lewis for sharing their own personal stories of bereavement - and how their grieving process was handled in the workplace - in support of #nationalgriefawarenessweek.

Listen to the full episode to hear their stories in full, along with best-practice ideas for workplaces.

Resources:

The Fawcett Society announced that 20 November 2022 was Equal Pay Day this year – but it is not a day to celebrate. From this day to the end of the year, women are, on average, working for free because of the ongoing gender pay gap. A stark fact particularly given the cost of living crisis and impending recession.

In our latest podcast, Helen Dallimore from byrne·dean speaks with Sarah Lyons and Hannah Bradshaw of BlueSky about why we are still here, the wider impact of the gender pay gap and wealth inequality and the positive steps we can take to challenge and address this in our workplaces. They share their experiences and insights as employment lawyers, mothers and DEI experts. Sarah and Hannah also bring their wealth of knowledge from their roles as executive coaches who create sustainable change and ensure female talent is retained and thrives in law firms.  As they highlight, tackling these issues will not only benefit women; it benefits everyone – businesses, the economy and society as a whole.