Nearly two in five (39%) judges were concerned over their personal safety last year, according to a survey by University College London (UCL)'s Judicial Institute. This was up from 27% in 2022.
The UK Judicial Attitude Survey, published on Monday (24 February), also found that two in five (39%) judges are considering leaving the profession early, in the next five years. This has increased 16% since the survey began in 2014.
Judges are becoming more concerned over their physical safety due to external threats in court. These can often arise due to the challenging nature of their role. Last year, Greg Hazeltine was jailed for three years after assaulting and throwing a radiator at a judge, at Milton Keynes Family Court.
HR teams have a legal duty to provide a safe working environment for all employees and should create a culture where health and safety concerns are a top priority, according to Hannah Ford, partner at law firm Stevens and Bolton.
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Ford told HR magazine: “Employers should engage with staff to understand their views and fears, and consider any suggestions they may have.
“Where an employee raises direct concerns, they should be reassured that they are being listened to, and the concerns should be documented and escalated appropriately.”
HR professionals can support employees who may have concerns over their physical safety, Cate Walter, director of health and safety consultancy Rhino Safety, explained.
Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “If employees face a physical risk, tangible measures can be in place to support and protect them. With physical safety concerns, lone working may be determined as an unacceptable level of risk, and buddy working may be implemented to eliminate that.”
Results of UCL's survey also showed that almost three quarters (73%) of judges did not report any incidents of bullying as they did not believe it would make a difference. Almost half (45%) did not do so as they were concerned it would affect their future at the judiciary.
HR professionals should tailor their support to employees who are concerned over their physical safety over employees who are concerned about their online safety, according to Ford.
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She said: "Support should be tailored to the role undertaken by the employee and its demands and risks. So, businesses should strategically direct support and resources to those employees facing increased physical safety concerns: for example, those in frontline roles."
“Bullying and harassment can of course take place online as well as in person, and must be treated as a health and safety issue in its own right.”
Walter emphasised that the nature of online bullying is often hidden from general view, so these concerns should be dealt with differently.
She said: “Online safety concerns are more likely to be concealed from general view, so the support surrounding them should be more focused on emphasising the importance of reporting issues, no matter how minor they may seem.
“Ultimately, HR should be ensuring that concerns are treated sensitively and proactively; it is better to proactively mitigate against a potential risk that never materialises, than to find yourself reactively dealing with an incident that has caused harm.”
