Preventing Harassment at Work | WorkNest Webinar

Workplace harassment continues to present a serious challenge for employers, with potential legal, financial and reputational consequences for organisations that fail to take appropriate action.

Employer responsibilities have increased significantly in recent years. The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 introduced a new proactive duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace from October 2024, while further changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 are due to come into effect from this October.

The scale of the issue remains significant. According to the Office for National Statistics Crime Survey for England and Wales (year ending March 2025):

• 22.5% of people experienced sexual harassment in the workplace during the previous 12 months
• 7.1% experienced harassment from a colleague
• 6.2% experienced harassment by a third party
• 5.2% experienced sexual harassment from a client, customer or member of the public

For employers, simply having policies in place is no longer enough. Organisations need to take proactive, reasonable steps to prevent harassment, ensure managers understand their responsibilities and be able to demonstrate the action they have taken.

What will be covered

• What constitutes workplace harassment and the different forms it can take
• The current legal protections surrounding workplace harassment
• What the proactive duty to prevent sexual harassment means for employers
• How the latest and upcoming legislative changes affect organisations
• What employers should be doing before an issue or complaint arises
• How managers can help identify, prevent and respond to inappropriate behaviour
• The potential consequences of getting workplace harassment wrong
• Practical steps to strengthen policies, training and workplace culture
• How organisations can evidence the reasonable steps they have taken to reduce risk