Preventing Sexual Harassment FAQs

Sexual harassment in the workplace is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that violates someone’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment.

Sexual harassment can include verbal, non-verbal, or physical behaviour, such as inappropriate comments, sexual jokes, unwanted touching, sexual advances, or sharing explicit material. In the UK, sexual harassment is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.

One example of sexual harassment is a colleague making repeated sexual comments or suggestive remarks about someone’s appearance after being asked to stop. This unwanted behaviour can create a hostile or uncomfortable working environment and is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.

According to a poll referenced in the investigation by Women and Equalities Committee, about 40% of women in the UK say they have experienced unwanted sexual behaviour at work.

According to research around 18% of men have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

For a deeper dive into statistics, please see our article, Sexual harassment in the workplace statistics – how widespread is it?

Preventing sexual harassment is important because it:

• Protects employees’ wellbeing – it reduces stress, anxiety, and harm at work.
• Creates a safer, more respectful workplace – improving morale, trust, and productivity.
• Reduces legal and financial risk – under the Equality Act 2010, employers can be held liable if they fail to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment.
• Protects reputation – organisations that act proactively avoid serious reputational damage.
• Meets legal duties – the 2024 preventative duty now requires employers to actively stop harassment before it happens.

The main laws that prevent sexual harassment in the UK are:

• Equality Act 2010 – the primary law that makes sexual harassment unlawful at work and places a duty on employers to prevent it.
• Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 – in force from 2024, this strengthens the preventative duty, requiring employers to take proactive steps to stop harassment.
• Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – covers harassment and stalking as criminal offences.
• Sexual Offences Act 2003 – applies where harassment involves sexual assault or other serious offences.

Together, these laws provide both employment protection and criminal enforcement against sexual harassment.

For more information, read our article, Sexual harassment in the workplace – how does new legislation affect employers?

Yes. Employees are protected from sexual harassment and other forms of harassment by customers or clients.

Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including harassment by third parties such as customers, clients, or service users. This duty applies to all employees.

Where customer harassment is not sexual or discriminatory, employers still have duties under health and safety law to protect workers from harm, including psychological harm such as abuse, intimidation, or threatening behaviour.

Yes. Sexual harassment can apply to remote work and social media.

Sexual harassment does not have to take place in a physical workplace. Behaviour that occurs through work-related digital platforms (such as email, Teams, Slack, Zoom, or work-related WhatsApp groups) is treated in the same way as in-person conduct.

Harassment can also extend to social media or out-of-hours behaviour where there is a clear connection to work, for example where colleagues interact, work relationships are involved, or the conduct affects someone’s dignity or working environment.

If the behaviour is connected to work, the employer may still have responsibility to address it, even if it happens remotely, outside normal working hours, or on digital platforms.

Companies can prevent sexual harassment by putting clear expectations, robust processes, and a supportive culture in place. Key steps include:

• Creating a clear, written policy that defines sexual harassment, gives examples, and outlines how to report concerns.
• Providing regular training for all staff and managers so everyone understands acceptable behaviour and how to challenge or report misconduct.
• Ensuring multiple reporting routes, including confidential or anonymous options, so employees feel safe raising concerns.
• Acting quickly and fairly when allegations are made, following a consistent process aligned with the Equality Act 2010 and the ACAS Code of Practice.
• Encouraging respectful behaviour and positive leadership, with managers modelling appropriate conduct and addressing issues early.
• Reviewing workplace culture and risk areas, such as social events or isolated working environments, and taking steps to reduce risks.

By combining strong policies, training, and proactive leadership, organisations can create a safer and more respectful workplace.

Reasonable steps an employer should take to prevent sexual harassment include:

• Having a clear anti-harassment and dignity at work policy that is communicated to all staff
• Providing regular, effective training for employees and managers on recognising, preventing, and responding to sexual harassment
• Putting in place safe, accessible reporting procedures that employees trust and can use without fear of retaliation
• Assessing risk, including identifying roles or situations where harassment is more likely (such as customer-facing work, lone working, or work-related social events)
• Implementing practical controls to manage identified risks, such as supervision, codes of conduct for third parties, or clear escalation routes
• Taking complaints seriously and acting promptly, fairly, and consistently when concerns are raised
• Demonstrating leadership commitment to a respectful workplace culture where harassment is not tolerated

What counts as reasonable will vary depending on the size and nature of the organisation, but employers must be able to show they took proactive, preventative action.

In the UK, a sexual harassment policy is not stated as a legal requirement, but it is effectively mandatory.

Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. Without a clear policy and training in place, it is very difficult to show legal compliance, especially with the strengthened preventative duty introduced in 2024.

The preventative duty requires employers to take proactive, ongoing steps to stop sexual harassment before it happens, not just respond after an incident.

Sexual harassment prevention training is education provided to employees and managers to help them understand what sexual harassment is, how to recognise it, and what to do if they witness or experience it.

Training covers legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, examples of unacceptable behaviour, how to challenge inappropriate conduct, and how to report concerns safely. It also helps organisations build a respectful workplace culture by ensuring everyone understands their role in preventing harassment.

Sexual harassment prevention training does not have a legally defined duration in the UK, so the length varies by organisation and the depth of content.

Most courses last 30–60 minutes for general employee training, while more in-depth or manager-specific programmes can take 1–2 hours. What matters is that the training is clear, practical, and effective.

There is no legally fixed interval for sexual harassment prevention training. However, employers must ensure training remains effective under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which requires them to protect employees from risks, including those related to workplace behaviour.

HSE guidance also states that training should be refreshed “periodically” and whenever there are changes, incidents, new risks, or evidence that current training is no longer effective.

In practice, many organisations refresh sexual harassment and equality training every 1–2 years to meet these expectations and demonstrate that reasonable steps are being taken to prevent harassment.

If someone is sexually harassing you at work, you have the right to be protected and supported. Here’s what you can do:

• Tell them to stop (if you feel safe to do so) – make it clear their behaviour is unwanted.
• Keep a record – write down dates, times, what happened, and any witnesses.
• Report it internally – follow your employer’s sexual harassment or grievance policy, usually via your manager or HR.
• Get confidential advice – you can speak to ACAS for free, impartial guidance.
• Take legal action if needed – under the Equality Act 2010, sexual harassment is unlawful, and you may be able to make a claim to an employment tribunal.

If you’re in immediate danger, contact the police straight away. You don’t have to deal with this alone.

To report sexual harassment, you do not need “perfect” proof, but having supporting evidence can strengthen your case. Useful evidence includes:

• Written records – dates, times, locations, what happened, and how it made you feel
• Messages or emails – screenshots of texts, chats, social media, or emails
• Witnesses – anyone who saw or heard what happened, or who you told at the time
• Formal complaints – copies of reports made to HR or managers
• CCTV or audio (where lawfully obtained)

Under the Equality Act 2010, a case can still proceed based on your testimony alone if it is credible. Evidence simply makes the claim stronger, but it is not a strict requirement.

No. You should not be fired or disciplined for reporting sexual harassment, supporting a complaint, or acting as a witness.

UK law protects workers from victimisation, which means being treated unfavourably because they made a complaint, raised a concern, or supported someone else who did. Victimisation itself is unlawful.

This protection applies even if the complaint is not upheld, provided it was made in good faith. Any dismissal, disciplinary action, demotion, or other disadvantage linked to reporting sexual harassment could expose the employer to legal action.

If you experience negative treatment after reporting sexual harassment, you may have grounds for a separate legal claim in addition to the original complaint.

In the UK, there is a strict time limit for making a legal claim for sexual harassment.

For an Employment Tribunal claim, the time limit is usually three months minus one day from the date of the incident. If the harassment happened over a period of time, the deadline normally runs from the last incident.

Before submitting a tribunal claim, you must start ACAS Early Conciliation, which pauses the time limit while conciliation is attempted. Once that process ends, you will be given a new deadline.

Courts and tribunals can extend the time limit only in exceptional circumstances, so it’s important to seek advice and act promptly if you are considering a claim.