Sexual Harassment Awareness — Know, Recognise, Respond
Sexual harassment is not always obvious. It can involve serious and deliberate behaviour, but it can also develop through comments, jokes, messages, unwanted attention or behaviour that has gradually become accepted as part of the workplace culture. Harassment can also come from outside the organisation — from customers, clients, contractors, suppliers, patients, service users or visitors.
This half-day workshop gives delegates the essential knowledge and practical tools they need to Know → Recognise → Respond. The focus is on helping people recognise risk earlier and know what appropriate action looks like.
Want to discuss whether this workshop fits your organisation? Email training@elevateimpacttraining.com
What Changes From 30 October 2026
Employers must take "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment
From 30 October 2026, employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers. From the same date, employers may also be liable for harassment by third parties, such as customers, clients, contractors, service users or members of the public, unless they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent it.
These strengthened duties form part of the Employment Rights Act 2025. While the headline changes and implementation date have been confirmed, some detailed regulations, Codes of Practice and supporting guidance are still being developed, consulted upon or updated.
This workshop reflects the law and official guidance available at the time of delivery, while focusing on the practical behaviours employees and managers need to recognise, respond and contribute to a preventative workplace culture.
A Policy Alone Cannot Create a Respectful Workplace
The law increasingly places the emphasis on prevention rather than simply responding after an incident has occurred. Training is one important part of a wider preventative approach — employees and managers need to understand how inappropriate behaviour can show up in everyday working life and what they should actually do when they encounter it.
This workshop helps delegates explore what sexual harassment means in practice, the difference between intention and impact, when jokes and banter may cross the line, harassment involving customers and other third parties, what to do if they witness inappropriate behaviour, and why prevention is more effective than waiting for something serious to happen.
The course is practical and discussion-based, designed to encourage thoughtful judgement rather than simply giving delegates a list of rules.
Half-Day Workshop vs Full-Day Programme
Both formats help organisations strengthen harassment awareness and preventative behaviour. The right choice depends on the audience and the level of practical management capability required.
| Half-Day Workshop | Full-Day Programme | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 3–3.5 hours | 6–7 hours |
| Best suited to | Employees, mixed teams, organisation-wide rollouts | Managers, supervisors, leaders and HR teams |
| Bystander intervention | Included | Included |
| Receiving a disclosure | Introductory awareness only | Detailed manager skills practice |
| Manager intervention | Overview | In-depth |
| Risk assessment | Awareness | Practical organisational exercise |
| Documentation | Basic awareness | Detailed |
| Case studies | Short scenarios | Extended scenarios |
| Action planning | Personal commitments | Organisational and manager action planning |
Not sure which format is right? Speak to our training specialist on 07544 534759.
What Delegates and Organisations Gain From This Workshop
Clearer understanding of sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace behaviour
Greater confidence recognising when behaviour may have crossed an acceptable boundary
Better understanding of the difference between intention and impact
Greater awareness of how workplace banter, jokes and comments can affect others
Understanding of third-party harassment involving customers, clients and contractors
Practical ways to intervene safely when inappropriate behaviour is witnessed
Greater confidence about reporting concerns and supporting colleagues
Practical discussion of realistic workplace scenarios rather than a purely legal presentation
By the End of the Workshop, Delegates Will Be Able To
- Explain what sexual harassment means in a workplace context
- Recognise examples of unwanted sexual conduct and inappropriate workplace behaviour
- Understand why a person's intention does not automatically determine the impact of their behaviour
- Identify when jokes, comments, messages, flirting, touching or workplace banter may become inappropriate
- Explain what third-party harassment means and recognise situations in which it may occur
- Identify practical ways to respond when they witness inappropriate behaviour
- Understand the importance of appropriate reporting and escalation routes
- Identify at least one action they can take to support a safer and more respectful working environment
Half-Day Workshop Outline
The workshop uses realistic workplace scenarios and structured discussion throughout — the aim is judgement, not a list of forbidden words.
Delegates explore what sexual harassment means and how it can appear in everyday workplace situations — unwanted conduct, dignity at work, verbal, non-verbal, physical and digital behaviour — followed by the distinction between intention and impact. The workshop then moves into the everyday situations that often cause uncertainty, including a practical exercise working through short workplace scenarios, and a dedicated session on the "it was only banter" issue — exploring why silence does not necessarily mean agreement, and when workplace banter crosses the line.
Delegates explore the difference between reactive thinking ("we will deal with it if somebody complains") and preventative thinking ("what can we do to reduce the chance of this happening in the first place?"), before moving into third-party harassment — potential harassment from customers, clients, contractors, suppliers, patients, service users or visitors, using examples adapted to the client's sector.
Delegates explore five practical bystander response options — direct, distract, check in, report and escalate — followed by a practical activity working through several realistic "what would you do?" scenarios. The workshop closes by covering organisational reporting routes, the difference between treating information sensitively and promising absolute confidentiality, and the importance of protecting people from retaliation or victimisation.
Delegates reflect on the workshop and complete three practical commitments using the half-day Elevate Impact framework: Recognise → Respond → Report.
Suitable for Employees, Managers and Teams Across All Sectors
This workshop is particularly well suited to whole-organisation awareness rollouts, where an employer wants large numbers of employees to receive consistent practical training without requiring a full day away from their roles.
Want this tailored to your sector or organisational context? Email training@elevateimpacttraining.com
Flexible Delivery — Wherever You Are
Every workshop can be adapted to the organisation, sector and workforce rather than delivered as a generic legal presentation. Delivered in-house or virtually, available across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Europe.
Face-to-Face
Delivered at your workplace with scenarios tailored to your sector and workforce
Virtual
Delivered via Microsoft Teams or Zoom with structured discussion, polling and scenario-based activities
Bespoke
Examples adapted around customer interaction, contractor relationships and existing reporting routes
Legal Content Reviewed August 2026
Employment law and supporting guidance are continuing to develop throughout 2026 and 2027. The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces strengthened duties relating to the prevention of sexual harassment and third-party harassment from 30 October 2026.
While the headline legal changes and implementation date have been confirmed, some detailed regulations, Codes of Practice and supporting guidance may continue to be developed, consulted upon or updated.
Elevate Impact Training reviews relevant Government, Acas and Equality and Human Rights Commission information and updates the legal content of this workshop where appropriate. The workshop reflects the law and official guidance available at the time of delivery. Where a future requirement has been announced but detailed regulations or guidance have not yet been finalised, this is clearly identified during the training.
Training is one part of an organisation's wider approach to preventing harassment. Policies, procedures, reporting arrangements, risk assessment, leadership behaviour, workplace culture and other organisational controls may also be required.
Important: This workshop provides practical workplace training and awareness. It does not constitute legal advice, and attendance should not be taken as confirmation that an organisation is legally compliant. Organisations should seek appropriate Human Resources or specialist legal advice regarding individual cases or specific legal matters.
Legal content last reviewed: August 2026