This course focuses on identifying, addressing and preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. It aims to create awareness of inappropriate behaviours, raise confidence to speak out and contribute towards dignity and respect for all in the workplace.
Course Context
Sexual harassment can result in serious physical and psychological impacts for those who experience it, as well as damaging consequences for the organisation. These may include reduced performance, low morale, increased turnover, expensive and time-consuming litigation, sickness absence and reputational harm. Instances of sexual harassment are often underreported for a variety of reasons, and this can lead to a hostile working environment.
To comply with the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, employers now have a duty to take reasonable steps to proactively prevent sexual harassment at work.
Establishing trusted and transparent processes for employees to report concerns without fear of reprisals is key to proactively tackling sexual harassment. It’s crucial that everyone is aware of and has faith in the complaint-handling process, ensuring concerns are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.
Equipping employees and managers with the knowledge to identify, report, and escalate harassment instances helps achieve a zero-tolerance approach to inappropriate behaviour. This course aims to reduce sexual harassment risks and associated legal claims while promoting safety, respect, and dignity at work.
Key Benefits
By the end of the course, participants will:
- Be aware of what constitutes sexual harassment at work and its negative impact
- Recognise the value of creating a culture of respect, dignity, and psychological safety
- Understand the context of the Equality Act 2010 and the new Worker Protection Act 2023
- Think carefully about the impact of making assumptions and stereotyping in relation to banter & jokes
- Know the difference between sexism, sexual harassment and sexual assault
- Identify and differentiate between effective interaction and harassment
- Gain strategies to challenge/manage inappropriate behaviour
- Be aware of how to support others who have experienced sexual harassment
- Have a better understanding of their organisation’s policies and processes in relation to sexual harassment
- Understand their role and responsibilities in preventing inappropriate behaviour and how they can encourage dignity and respect at work
Who would benefit from this training?
This training can be adapted to suit anyone in the organisation – from board members and senior management teams to managers and staff.
Examples of training options are as follows:
- Tackling sexual harassment awareness sessions for all employees
- Managing and preventing sexual harassment training for managers
- Sexual harassment action planning, focusing on cultural change
- Consultancy to facilitate the development of an anti-sexual harassment policy
Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023
We can deliver a 2-hour workshop to help clarify the new mandatory duty and provide practical advice on steps to take to comply with the new legislation. If you are looking for a specific course for managers, HR professionals or anyone with responsibility for ensuring compliance, then please click here for details of our 'Comply and Prevent Sexual Harassment at Work course.'
Content of Sexual Harassment at Work – Awareness and Prevention course
The training is fully interactive and facilitated by a subject expert in a relaxed and supportive manner, with opportunities for questions and discussion. Throughout the training session, there will be an emphasis on creating a safe and inclusive learning environment to enable open discussions about a sensitive topic.
A typical course covers the following topics:
- The definition of sexual harassment
- Examples of behaviours associated with sexual harassment and how to identify these
- The negative impact of sexual harassment on the individual, team and organisation
- Organisational and management responsibility and the legal framework, including the Equality Act and Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023
- Case law, anecdotes, scenarios and anonymous ‘true life’ situations
- Strategies to challenge and manage inappropriate behaviour by 'nipping it in the bud' and thereby fostering good relations
- Reporting unacceptable behaviour and the investigation process
- Reference to your organisation’s policies, guidelines and procedures and where to go for support
Suggested additional content for training for managers:
Managers are uniquely positioned to set the tone and lead by example, demonstrating their commitment to dignity and respect in their approach to managing their teams. The Manager’s version of this course is specifically designed to cover the manager’s role in setting expectations and building a culture of civility where sexual harassment behaviours are not tolerated. The course for Managers can include additional topics such as:
- Handling complaints relating to sexual harassment
- Supporting team members who have raised concerns
- Role-modelling and establishing standards of behaviour
- Encouraging collective responsibility in fostering a culture of dignity and respect
- Action planning to anticipate and prevent instances of sexual harassment at work
- Content for those responsible for policy development
Delegate comments from Sexual Harassment at Work - Awareness and Prevention course:
"Excellent course. Made me think about my own behaviour and how we, as a company, deal with these issues.""It was engaging and provided a space where people felt comfortable enough to share personal anecdotes that otherwise I would not expect they would have."
"The course was a valuable learning experience and I would recommend this to anyone to ensure that the correct protocols are being followed."
“Great day, very thought provoking. Good layout of the day involving trainer speaking and group work.”
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Find out more
Please get in touch with us if you have any questions.
We are always happy to talk about our courses and help you to work out the best match for your requirements.
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY
"The quality of the training has been fantastic and our employees are really engaging with the trainer and getting something out of it. Also In Equilibrium makes the whole process very easy to arrange."
"We wanted to provide a course that taught useful and practical coping strategies that our members could put into place straight away. In Equilibrium’s experience showed us that they could provide this, and they tailored the course perfectly."
"In-Equilibrium recently presented Mental Health Awareness to Managers in all of our area offices. The training was really well received and all of the trainers were praised for their in-depth knowledge and understanding."
"The training was very well received by staff who now all intend to implement the session’s practical tips and techniques into their existing roles. A large proportion of the staff rated the facilitator and their delivery as excellent and their only recommendation was for a further and longer session!"
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