In late February, over 1300 elite individuals gathered at London’s Grosvenor House hotel for a men-only charity event organized by the President’s Club. The event triggered renewed attention on workplace behavior as covert filming exposed sexual harassment instances towards the female staff leading to a far-reaching scandal and triggering an urgent review of professional conduct standards.
An “annual dinner behavior guideline” was introduced during the Financing & Leasing Association (FLA) event. It was designed to foster respect and inclusivity and explicitly outlawed any acts of discrimination, harassment, or derogatory comments. FLA aims to establish a professional and respectful atmosphere with these guidelines.
FLA hopes the new policy goes beyond just the annual dinner, helping to shape acceptable behavior among its members and stakeholders in all related activities. It looks forward to these measures promoting a safe and respectful environment.
Global corporations including Santander, the Lloyds Group, Harley-Davidson, and Ferrari’s credit divisions jointly pledged to curb such behavior.
Addressing misconduct at London’s charity events
This commitment aims to address and prevent any unethical practices and holds those accountable exploiting loopholes and ambiguous regulations.
The FLA seeks to cultivate an environment free from bias and mistreatment, accepting everyone regardless of their sex, race, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation. The FLA re-emphasized its mission and firmly believes everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and without prejudice. The policy strictly disapproves discrimination and expects everyone to promote a bias-free and inclusive environment.
London’s financial district is facing rising scandals which threaten the reputation of organizations and the safety of employees and visitors. These companies aim to change the status quo, fostering responsible and respectful behavior at social occasions, after-work events, and business trips.
The UK’s Equality Act of 2010 has spurred these companies to create inclusive diversity plans. The #MeToo movement and sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein have accelerated these efforts.
A study, led by the Commons Treasury Committee, reports that work-related misconduct has moved from offices to external events. Recently seen by Committee Conservative Chair Harriett Baldwin as a new “danger zone” for women during after-work parties, conferences, and business trips.
Consequently, companies have implemented strict “event behavior guidelines” and long lists of unacceptable actions, aiming to establish safer environments at all work-related activities.
