Understanding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace — E-Learning
The law changed in October 2024. Has your training?
The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 came into force on 26 October 2024. It introduced, for the first time, a proactive duty on all employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. This is a fundamental shift from the previous legal position, under which employers were primarily liable only after an act of harassment had occurred.
Under the new duty, an employer who has not taken reasonable preventive steps, including staff training, faces enforcement action from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), as well as potential uplift of up to 25% on compensation awards in individual employment tribunal claims. The EHRC has stated that staff training is one of the primary measures it will look for as evidence of compliance.
This course helps every member of staff understand what sexual harassment is, their rights and responsibilities, and what the organisation’s commitment to a harassment-free workplace means in practice.
What You Will Learn
Understanding sexual harassment
- The legal definition of sexual harassment under the Equality Act 2010
- The difference between sexual harassment and other forms of harassment under the Act
- Third-party harassment: employer obligations when clients, customers or contractors are involved
- What constitutes unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, including verbal, non-verbal and physical behaviour
- Online and remote harassment: how the law applies in digital working environments
The Worker Protection Act 2023
- What the new proactive duty means in practice
- What “reasonable steps” the EHRC expects employers to take
- The consequences of non-compliance, including enforcement, tribunal uplift and reputational risk
- How this course contributes to an employer’s evidence of reasonable steps
Responding to harassment
- How to report harassment as a target or a bystander
- The difference between formal and informal complaint procedures
- How complaints should be handled to avoid compounding harm
- Common mistakes organisations make when responding to allegations
- The role of HR and management in maintaining a harassment-free culture
For managers and team leaders
- Your specific responsibilities as a manager or supervisor
- Recognising and responding to early warning signs
- How your own behaviour, and your tolerance of others’ behaviour, shapes the team culture
- Documentation: why keeping records matters even when things seem informal
Course Details
| Format | Fully online, self-paced |
| Duration | Approximately 1–2 hours |
| Certificate | CPD approved; PDF issued on completion |
| Access | Immediate on enrolment; compatible with all devices |
Test:
- This Sexual Harassment in the Workplace course is tested online & you’ll need to gain a minimum of 70% in each of the modules to pass.
- You will undertake a multiple choice exam at the end of the course with short tests throughout to help cement your learning.
Pre-requisites:
- We recommend that you have a reasonable understanding of English & maths (e.g. GCSE grade D/Level 1) before undertaking this course.
Candidates:
- Purchase a place for yourself, or purchase a bundle for your colleagues.
Geographical coverage:
- The Sexual Harassment in the Workplace course is available to candidates in the UK.
- The course can be delivered in other countries however candidates should be aware that the content was developed in accordance with current UK practice, protocols & guidance.
Venue:
- The Sexual Harassment in the Workplace course can be run on any electronic device. We recommend that a laptop/desktop is used to ensure that you can see the screen clearly.
Joining instructions:
- Shortly after you purchase your place on the course, we will email you your login details for the course.
- Visit this page to read the course joining instructions including everything you need to know about our e-learning courses.
Links:
Related Training
For a broader organisational approach to equality, diversity, and workplace culture, see our Equality, Diversity and Discrimination course.
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