Understanding what vicarious liability means for employers
Vicarious liability refers to a situation where someone is held
responsible for the actions or omissions of another person. In a
workplace context, an employer can be liable for the acts or
omissions of its employees, provided it can be shown that they
took place in the course of their employment. Many employers are
unaware that they can be liable for a range of actions committed
by their employees in the course of their employment - these can
include bullying and harassment, violent or discriminatory acts
or even libel and breach of copyright. It's also possible to
take action against an employer for the behaviour of third
parties, such as clients and customers, provided these parties
are deemed to be under the control of the employer. The key
question of any case of vicarious liability is whether the
employee was acting in a personal capacity, or in the course of
their employment. This can often be difficult to determine. Nor
does an employer's liab