'Offensive territory' | Worrying rise in staff excusing bullying & discrimination as 'banter'

“Banter” has increasingly been invoked in employment tribunals as a justification for alleged discrimination and harassment, new research has revealed.

A study from employment law firm GQ|Littler found that the number of employment tribunals claims relating to ‘banter’ in the workplace saw a 45% increase, from 67 in 2020 to 97 in 2021.