, please spend more than £50Description
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
A CPD-certified online course for all staff, built around the Worker Protection Act. Understand what sexual harassment is, how to respond to it — including harassment by customers and other third parties — and how to help keep your workplace safe and respectful. Fully online, at your own pace.
About this course
Training every employer now has to be able to evidence
Since October 2024, the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 has placed a proactive legal duty on every UK employer to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers. From October 2026 that duty is strengthened significantly: employers must take all reasonable steps, and become liable for harassment of their staff by third parties such as customers, clients and contractors. Employment tribunals can uplift compensation by up to 25% where the duty has been breached, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission can take enforcement action in its own right.
Tribunals and the EHRC expect the training behind that duty to be documented, role-appropriate and regularly refreshed — a one-off tick-box exercise is not enough. This course gives every member of staff a clear, practical understanding of what sexual harassment is, the forms it takes, why “banter” is not a defence, what to do when it involves a customer or visitor rather than a colleague, and how to raise concerns with confidence.
Fully online and self-paced, the course takes around one to two hours and is accessed for twelve months from enrolment. On passing the end-of-course assessment, a CPD-certified digital certificate is issued instantly — giving your employer dated, named evidence of training for each learner. Volume licensing is available for whole-team rollouts.
What you’ll learn
Learning outcomes
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 under the Worker Protection Act 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, contractors and visitors, 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 — 1 to 2 hours of learning
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
Is this course right for you?
Who should take this course?
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.
How you’ll be assessed
Assessment
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.
Your certificate
CPD-certified digital 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.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Does this course satisfy the Worker Protection Act duty on its own?⌄
What changes in October 2026?⌄
How long does it take and how long do I have access?⌄
Is there a version for managers?⌄
Can I buy this for my whole team?⌄
What other training do hospitality teams need?⌄
Ready to enrol?
Start your CPD-certified sexual harassment prevention training today. Fully online, self-paced, with your certificate issued instantly on completion.
