Overview
A duty on every employer — and every workplace
Preventing sexual harassment is no longer something employers can leave to a paragraph in the staff handbook. Since October 2024, the Worker Protection Act has required every UK employer to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers — and from October 2026 the bar rises again: employers must take all reasonable steps, and become responsible for protecting staff from harassment by third parties such as customers, clients and contractors.
This course gives you, as an individual member of staff, a clear and practical grounding: what sexual harassment actually is in law, the behaviours that cross the line, why the effect on the recipient matters more than the intention, and what to do when the person responsible is a customer or visitor rather than a colleague. You will also learn how to act as an active bystander and how to raise a concern — with the law’s protection against victimisation behind you.
The course is fully online and self-paced. Most people finish in one to two hours, and you have twelve months’ access from enrolment. Pass the closing assessment and your CPD-certified certificate is generated straight away — dated, named evidence of training your employer can rely on.
Fully Online
1–2 Hours
All Staff · All Sectors
What you’ll learn
What you’ll be able to do
By the end of this course you will be able to:
Explain what sexual harassment is under the Equality Act 2010 and why intent is not the test.
Understand the employer’s preventative duty and how it strengthens from October 2026.
Recognise the many forms harassment takes — verbal, physical, written, online and via social media.
Identify harassment by third parties such as customers, clients and contractors, and know how to respond.
Act as an active bystander — safely intervening, supporting colleagues and escalating concerns.
Use your organisation’s reporting channels and know what should happen after a report is made.
Understand victimisation and why the law protects people who report or support a complaint.
Contribute to a respectful workplace culture in which harassment is less likely to occur.
Course content
Six modules to work through
Each module ends with a knowledge check. Work through the modules in any order and return to the content at any time during your twelve-month access window.
1Sexual Harassment and the LawThe Equality Act, the Worker Protection Act, and what changes in October 2026.⌄
- The legal definition of sexual harassment under the Equality Act 2010
- The Worker Protection Act and the employer’s preventative duty
- October 2026: “all reasonable steps” and liability for third-party harassment
- Compensation uplifts and EHRC enforcement
- What the law means for you as an individual worker
2Recognising Sexual HarassmentThe behaviours that cross the line — and why “it was just banter” is not a defence.⌄
- Unwanted conduct of a sexual nature: verbal, non-verbal, physical and written
- Digital harassment — messages, images and social media
- Why the effect on the recipient matters more than the intention
- The “banter” myth and workplace culture
- Realistic workplace scenarios and grey areas
3Harassment by Customers and Other Third PartiesWhen the harasser isn’t a colleague — customers, clients, contractors and visitors.⌄
- What counts as third-party harassment
- Higher-risk settings: hospitality, events, retail, transport and lone working
- Your employer’s responsibility to protect you from October 2026
- Responding in the moment — safety first
- Reporting incidents involving non-employees
4Being an Active BystanderPractical, safe ways to intervene and support colleagues.⌄
- Why bystanders matter in preventing harassment
- The four Ds: direct, distract, delegate, delay
- Choosing a safe and proportionate response
- Supporting a colleague after an incident
- Challenging low-level behaviour before it escalates
5Reporting Concerns and Getting SupportHow to raise a concern, what happens next, and the protection the law gives you.⌄
- Informal and formal reporting routes
- What a good complaints process looks like
- Confidentiality and how reports should be handled
- Victimisation — your legal protection when you report or support others
- Sources of internal and external support
6Building a Respectful WorkplaceEveryone’s role in a culture where harassment doesn’t take hold.⌄
- Culture, power and why some workplaces are higher risk
- Professional boundaries at work, at events and online
- Alcohol, work socials and off-site conduct
- Respect and inclusion as everyday behaviours
- Your personal commitments after this course
Who it’s for
Is this course a good fit?
The preventative duty covers every employer in the country — this course is written for every member of staff, whatever the sector. Managers and HR should also take our manager-level course covering the duty in depth.
Hospitality & licensed venues
Bar, restaurant, hotel and events staff — the sector facing the highest third-party risk.
Retail & customer service
Anyone dealing with the public face-to-face or by phone.
Transport & logistics
Drivers, warehouse teams and depot staff, including lone workers.
Offices & professional services
Every office-based team, including hybrid and remote workers.
Care, health & education
Staff working with service users, patients, parents and visitors.
New starters & inductions
Ideal as part of onboarding, with annual refreshers to keep evidence current.
Assessment
How it’s assessed
The course is assessed by a single online multiple-choice test taken at the end of the modules. It can be retaken as many times as you need at no extra cost.
End-of-course assessment
Study details
You can pause and resume at any point — your progress is saved automatically. There is no time limit on the assessment itself.
Certification
Your CPD-certified certificate
Sexual Harassment Prevention — CPD Certified
On passing the assessment, your CPD-certified digital certificate is available to download and print immediately, with your name, the course title and completion date. For employers, each certificate is dated, named evidence of preventative training — exactly what tribunals and the EHRC look for when testing whether “all reasonable steps” were taken. We recommend annual refresher training so that evidence stays current.
Instant download
Tribunal-ready evidence
Refresher recommended annually
FAQs
