New Laws in Place to Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

From October 2024, changes to the Equality Act 2010 will place a greater responsibility on employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Under the Worker Protection Act, businesses will be legally required to take 'reasonable steps' to safeguard employees.

What is the Worker Protection Act? 

The Worker Protection Act is an amendment to the existing Equality Act 2010. From the 26^th of October 2024, The Worker Protection Act will introduce a statutory duty for employers to take necessary steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. This amendment means that employers are now required to implement proactive measures, including updating workplace policies, providing regular training, and establishing clear reporting procedures.

What are employers' responsibilities? 

Under the new law, employers are required to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their workers in the course of their employment. This preventative duty means that employers should not wait for an incident to occur before taking action. Failure to comply with the new preventative duty has significant consequences. If a tribunal finds that an employer has breached this duty in a successful sexual harassment claim, it can increase the compensation awarded to the employee by up to 25%.

While no official guidance has been published to explain the action that needs to be taken to demonstrate that reasonable steps have been taken to prevent sexual harassment, organisations such as CIPD and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have offered guidance to help businesses on the subject. 

Reasonable steps that businesses can take include: 

• Senior leadership influence: Leaders must model and reinforce values of dignity, respect, and inclusion. 
• Policy implementation: Create clear policies defining sexual harassment, responsibilities, and examples. 
• Dedicated procedures: Consider a separate process for handling sexual harassment complaints. 
• Training: Provide regular sessions to educate all staff on identifying and preventing harassment. 
• Reporting systems: Establish clear, well-promoted channels for reporting incidents. 
• Swift investigations: Ensure prompt, thorough responses to complaints, reinforcing zero-tolerance. 
• Manager training: Equip managers with the skills to confidently address harassment. 
• Monitoring and reviews: Track gender diversity in recruitment and promotion, and gather feedback through surveys to assess culture and discrimination risk 
  

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Training

Employers will soon be legally required to provide regular staff training to ensure that they understand what sexual harassment is and their role in preventing/addressing it.

Our CPD-accredited course on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace equips businesses with the knowledge they need to help eliminate risks and create a positive work environment for everyone.

Book today or email enquiries@theaimgroup.co.uk to find out more.