HR software and eLearning content provider Ciphr has relaunched its ‘sexual harassment training course‘, ahead of the introduction of the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, which comes into force on 26 October.
The new legislation puts a positive legal onus on organisations to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their employees and workers. To ensure compliance, every employer in the UK needs to demonstrate that they have taken (and will continue to take) practical, proactive and preventative action to create a harassment-free workplace.
Ciphr’s eLearning content is powered by Marshalls, which became part of the company in 2023. Its newly updated sexual harassment training is designed to complement and draw attention to organisations’ anti-sexual harassment policies, and their procedures for reporting and dealing with harassment complaints. The training covers the latest legislation and equips staff with a thorough understanding, with situational examples, about what constitutes sexual harassment, how to recognise and report it – as a victim or witness, and how to get support or take action to prevent this unlawful behaviour in the workplace.
To help steer employers, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) recently released new technical guidance on harassment and sexual harassment at work. This includes an Employer 8-step guide that outlines some of the key measures that organisations need to have in place, if they haven’t already.
Some of these steps include maintaining up-to-date sexual harassment risk assessments, reviewing and communicating anti-sexual harassment policies, enabling confidential reporting, and implementing robust complaints and investigation procedures. The EHRC also advises employers to ensure that their employees receive regular, meaningful training on the three types of harassment, including, specifically, sexual harassment, and victimisation, to help prevent it from happening.
Employers that don’t provide their workforce with dedicated training on this, or haven’t updated their training for some time, are unlikely to be able to show that they have taken ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment occurring ‘in the course of employment’. Aside from the ethical imperative to comply, organisations found to breach this new legal duty could potentially face enforcement action and fines from the EHRC, as well as a 25% statutory uplift to compensation awarded in sexual harassment claims at employment tribunals. Reputational damage could also prove costly.
Ann Allcock, head of diversity at Ciphr eLearning (formerly known as Marshalls), says:
Employers must take note of the new legislation on sexual harassment. It introduces a requirement for all employers, without exception, to consciously take best practice steps to reduce the risk of sexual harassment occurring in the first place, as well as strengthen their procedures for reporting and handling complaints to safeguard and support employees.
Ann Allcock, head of diversity at Ciphr eLearning
For more information about Ciphr’s sexual harassment training, and to sign up for a free trial, visit: https://www.ciphr.com/elearning-courses/sexual-harassment.
For employers looking for more bespoke training, Ciphr eLearning, powered by Marshalls, also offers facilitated workshops exploring how allyship, active bystander interventions, and inclusive leadership and management can help prevent harassment and sexual harassment.
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.