Sexual harassment prevention training
Harassment is an equality issue before it is a compliance one. This session treats it that way, while meeting a legal duty that now expects far more than an annual e-learning module.
Why this sits inside inclusion work
Sexual harassment is harassment related to sex, a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. It belongs in the same conversation as every other form of workplace inequity, and treating it as a separate compliance exercise is part of why so little changes.
It is also a question about power. Who feels able to say something, who gets believed, who quietly leaves, and who is protected by seniority. Those are the same questions that run through the rest of our work.
And there is a reason the law has moved. The old model, an annual e-learning module and a signed record, was designed to provide a defence after the fact. It was never designed to change behaviour, and the evidence on awareness-only training is clear that it rarely does. A duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment asks a different question entirely: not whether you told people, but whether anything is actually different.
That is the question we start from.
Why this matters now
The legal duty has changed, and it is about to change again:
- Since October 2024, employers have had a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, under the Worker Protection Act 2023
- From October 2026, the Employment Rights Act 2025 raises this to all reasonable steps, a significantly higher threshold
- From April 2026, a report of sexual harassment counts as a protected disclosure for whistleblowing purposes
- Employment tribunals can uplift compensation by up to 25% where the duty has been breached
- The EHRC can investigate without any incident having occurred
- Employers are also liable for harassment by third parties such as customers and contractors
This page summarises the position in good faith and is not legal advice.
What the session covers
Shaped around your organisation, but typically:
- What the duty actually requires, in plain English, and what has changed
- What the EHRC expects: risk assessment, preventative measures, clear reporting routes and recorded training
- Recognising sexual harassment, including subtler and third-party behaviours
- Why annual e-learning alone is unlikely to satisfy an all reasonable steps duty
- Practical bystander intervention: what to actually say and do
- How to report, what happens next, and what managers must do when something is raised
What is included
Every booking includes the following as standard:
- A scoping conversation beforehand, so the session fits your organisation and your people
- The session itself, delivered online or in person
- Slides and any handouts used on the day
- A practical takeaway so people leave with something they can act on
- Time for questions and discussion, with an option to gather questions anonymously in advance
- Accessibility considered throughout, including captions online and materials in advance on request
What your organisation gets from it
- Training that is designed for the prevention duty rather than retrofitted from an older compliance model
- A record of properly delivered, up-to-date training, which is part of demonstrating reasonable steps
- Managers who know what to do in the first hour after a report, which is where most cases are won or lost
- Staff who understand what to do as a bystander, rather than freezing
- A clearer view of where your own risks actually sit
Who it is for
- All staff sessions, which is what the duty effectively expects
- Manager and HR sessions, covering handling reports and the higher duty on them
- Leadership briefings on the duty, the risks and what the organisation must evidence
- Sector specific versions for workplaces with significant third-party contact, such as hospitality, retail and healthcare
Formats
This training can be delivered as:
- Lunch and learn, a short session that fits into a working day
- Half day workshop, the most commonly booked format
- Full day workshop, where people work through the material in depth
- A programme or series, for change that needs more than one session
- Train the trainer, so your own people can deliver it afterwards
- Online or in person, across the UK
Pricing depends on format, group size and travel. Get in touch and I will give you a clear figure with no obligation.
Need to evidence your reasonable steps?
Tell me about your organisation and where you think the risks sit. I will tell you honestly what would meet the standard.