Sexual Harassment & Speak-Up Compliance Toolkit

The Employment Rights Act raises the bar from "reasonable steps" to "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment, expanding employer liability to third-party conduct and strengthening whistleblowing protections. This represents a significant shift in how organisations must approach prevention, reporting and accountability in the workplace. This toolkit is designed to help you understand where your organisation is exposed, what action is required, and how to evidence compliance in practice. Download the toolkit to:

Understand what "all reasonable steps" means for sexual harassment prevention

Identify gaps in your current reporting, culture and governance approach

Learn how to reduce risk across employee and third-party interactions

Build a clear, defensible approach to compliance ahead of implementation

The reality in numbers

Sexual harassment and workplace misconduct remain widespread across UK organisations, but reporting levels continue to lag behind lived experience. These behaviours sit at the centre of the Employment Rights Act reforms and highlight why stronger employer accountability is being introduced.

60% of people who have experienced bullying or harassment at work over the past 12 months did not report it.

37% said speaking up is not worth the personal risk.

Over a quarter of people have experienced bullying or harassment at work over the past 12 months.

More about our Sexual Harassment & Speak-Up Compliance Toolkit

The Employment Rights Act introduces a fundamental shift in employer responsibility for preventing sexual harassment. Organisations will no longer be able to rely on reactive processes or minimum compliance standards. Instead, they will be expected to demonstrate that they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent harm before it occurs, supported by clear evidence, consistent processes and strong leadership accountability.

This includes a strengthened duty to prevent sexual harassment, expanded liability for third-party conduct, restrictions on the use of NDAs in harassment cases, and enhanced whistleblowing protections. Together, these changes significantly increase legal, reputational and cultural risk for organisations that are not prepared.

The Sexual Harassment & Speak-Up Compliance Toolkit translates these requirements into a practical, operational framework. It helps organisations assess their current level of risk, understand where gaps exist, and take targeted action to strengthen prevention, reporting and response.

The toolkit also addresses one of the most persistent challenges organisations face: underreporting. With a significant proportion of employees choosing not to speak up due to fear of consequences or lack of trust, employers must focus on building safe, accessible and credible reporting environments. This includes ensuring anonymity where needed, improving consistency in case handling, and demonstrating that concerns lead to meaningful action.

Ultimately, this toolkit is designed to help organisations move from reactive compliance to proactive prevention. It supports HR, compliance and leadership teams in building the systems, behaviours and evidence required to meet the higher standard set by the Employment Rights Act.