I am attending a hearing under my company's harassment procedure. Who can accompany me?

An act of harassment is potentially a breach of a legal duty imposed on employers by anti discrimination legislation. Consequently, you should have the legal right to be accompanied at a harassment hearing.

Your legal right is to be accompanied by:

• a fellow worker
• a full-time official employed by a trade union
• a lay official

A full-time or lay union official may be required to show they have the experience of, or as have received training in, acting as a worker's companion at disciplinary and grievance hearings.

In order to be accompanied, you must make a formal request to your employer. The request must be reasonable.

Your organisation's harassment procedure may allow individuals other than those listed above to accompany you at such a hearing, so do check.