Reducing the risk with sexual harassment training
HR Dept
By civilised standards, sexual harassment has never been acceptable in the workplace. But all too often it occurs, despite the Equality Act and other legislation before it.
As you probably know, the Government implemented new rules in 2024 which put a proactive duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment under the Worker Protection Act. And now just two years later (from October), the duties of prevention on you the employer go further.
The key measures now and after October
The 2024 rules (still active at the time of publication), say that you must take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment by persons inside your business – management and staff.
Reasonable steps will depend on the context of your business, and ultimately where this would be judged is in an employment tribunal if things have gone wrong. If a tribunal finds that sexual harassment occurred and you failed to comply with your preventative duty, then they have the option to increase any compensation awarded by up to 25%.
Context is important then, but we think most businesses would be wise as a minimum to have a robust anti-harassment/sexual harassment policy, regular risk assessments, clear reporting routes, prompt investigation if called upon and both staff and manager training. It would also be reasonable to look at your company culture with a critical eye and intervene if there is any toxicity, and review your approach from time to time.
From October 2026, two important additions to your duties are made (as part of the Workers’ Rights Act).
First, the wording changes to become “ALL reasonable steps”. Again this would ultimately be tested in an employment tribunal should a case be brought, but it clearly puts even more emphasis on you the employer.
And second, the scope increases to include harassment made by third parties. Depending on your business this might include customers, clients, suppliers, contractors and so on.
The value of training
As part of a suite of actions all employers will have to take, we see training as a key measure for creating a safe and respectful workplace.
Legal definitions – It helps employees understand the legal definition of harassment, their rights and responsibilities, and importantly for everyone (including the business) the consequences of failing to address the harassment.
The role of bystanders – While harassment will need a victim and a perpetrator, there may well be witnesses to it too, who can play an important role in defence. This is especially so when
third-party harassment is brought into play in October. Training will help guide witnesses in how to intervene, make a report and give reliable evidence.
Following the process – Training can also be designed to reinforce the knowledge of your procedures to escalate a complaint of sexual harassment, meaning that should it occur you are still on the front foot in your response.
Anti-sexual harassment training from The HR Dept
As part of our eLearning range of courses, we can offer incredibly cost-effective sexual harassment awareness training from as little as £20 + VAT per person.
All our courses are completed online and are flexible so that employees can fit it around their day. There is an average course length of 30 mins. You get a clear audit trail for who has completed the training – vital for demonstrating your compliance with the latest rules.
If you would prefer something bespoke, we can arrange in-person workshops too, wherever you are based across the country. Get in touch with us today to take your first step.
