Finally, workplace bullies and abusers can no longer buy their victims’ silence

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Too often, a boss’s reputation comes before protecting staff and bad behaviour at work is baked into HR policies, says Zelda Perkins. After finally winning her seven-year fight to get NDAs banned in the workplace, she explains why it is so important…

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hen it comes to the years-long, dogged battle to finally ban abusive non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and end the harm they cause, it’s been quite a week. On Tuesday, crucial – and significant – new legislation banning them in cases of harassment and discrimination in the workplace was finally agreed. I’ve been waiting and working relentlessly for many, many years for a moment like this.

We’ve taken a huge step. This legislation broadly means that victims of harassment and discrimination can finally no longer be silenced by their employer or abuser, nor can those who speak out having witnessed wrongdoing.