Why do employers need to prevent sexual harassment at work?

Preventing sexual harassment is not just about avoiding problems when they happen. It is about creating a safe, respectful workplace and taking practical steps to reduce risk before issues arise. It is also a legal responsibility.

How common is sexual harassment at work?

Sexual harassment at work is sadly still far more common than many employers realise. Research shows that 52% of women experience sexual harassment at work.

What counts as unwanted behaviour and what counts as bullying at work?

Unwanted behaviour can cover a wide range of conduct. Sexual harassment can be verbal, non-verbal or physical, and it does not need to be directed at one specific person to have an impact. Bullying is slightly different, but it can still be serious. It usually involves offensive or intimidating behaviour that makes someone feel unsafe, undermined or distressed.

What does the Equality Act 2010 say about harassment?

Harassment is defined in the Equality Act 2010. In simple terms, it is unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic that violates someone’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them.

Which protected characteristics should employers think about in a risk assessment?

A good risk assessment should not take a one-size-fits-all approach. It should identify the hazards in your workplace and look at whether some people or groups may face a higher risk than others. That includes considering protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, as well as factors like lone working, client-facing roles, power imbalances and workplace culture.

Does harassment related to sexual orientation count even if it is meant as banter?

Yes. Harassment related to sexual orientation can still be unlawful even if someone says they were joking or did not mean any harm. If the behaviour is unwanted and it violates someone’s dignity or creates an offensive or hostile environment, it can still count as harassment.

What should a harassment risk assessment include?

A harassment risk assessment should help you identify where risks could arise, who could be affected and what controls are already in place. It should also set out any further action needed, who is responsible for it and when it should be completed.

How should employers monitor whether their approach is working?

Monitoring should go beyond having a policy on paper. Employers should track the number and type of complaints raised, look for patterns and review whether the response was timely and effective.

How often should a harassment risk assessment be reviewed?

It should be reviewed regularly, not filed away and forgotten. A review is especially important after an incident, after a complaint trend emerges, or when workplace policies, working arrangements or team structures change.

Sexual harassment and harassment risk assessment template (UK)

This resource was created in partnership with health and safety experts at Omny Group. It is intended as a basic general template only and designed for low-risk small to medium sized businesses. For tailored legal advice and support, you can contact Omny Group here.

Preventing harassment and sexual harassment at work is an essential part of creating a safe, respectful and inclusive working environment. It is also becoming increasingly important for employers to take a proactive approach as employment law in this area continues to develop.

Since October 2024, employers have had a proactive duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment at work. And from 30 October 2026, that duty rises to taking all reasonable steps, and employers also need to do more to protect workers from harassment by third parties such as clients, customers and contractors.

This template is designed to help you assess where harassment and sexual harassment risks could arise in your organisation, document the controls you already have in place and identify any further action needed and show you are taking reasonable steps to reduce risk. It should be used as a starting point only, and because every organisation’s risks and responsibilities will differ, it’s always best to seek HR or legal advice where needed.

Your risk assessment should be reviewed at least annually, or after any related incident or significant change.

Please note that any text in italics included throughout should be removed or replaced to reflect your organisation’s own circumstances.

Risk assessment details

Business name:	[Business name]
Location:	[Location or site being assessed]
Business name:	[Business name]
Location/site:	[Location or site being assessed]
Assessment date:	[Date]
Assessed by:	[Name, Role]
Activity/task assessed:	Prevention of harassment and sexual harassment of staff and volunteers, including third parties
Issue/version number:	[Version 1]
Review date:	[Date]
Persons who may be affected:	This might be employees, volunteers, agency/contract staff and job applicants. You should pay particular attention to any women, lone and client-facing workers, and anyone with a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

Risk assessment record

Use the table below to document all potential risks related to harassment and sexual harassment (including by third parties) in your business. Add more rows if needed. There’s an example in italics in the first row to help get you started. Remember to remove this and add your own.

You can find guidance on risk ratings at the bottom of this document to help you determine whether risk is high, medium or low.

No.	Hazard	Possible effects/harm	Risk rating before controls (High/Medium/Low)	Detail existing control measures already in place	Detail further action required to reduce risk Action required, responsible person and target date	Revised rating after controls (High/Medium/Low)
1	Sexual harassment by colleagues - unwanted conduct of a sexual nature	Staff (disproportionately women) – distress, humiliation, a hostile or degrading environment, loss of dignity, stress-related absence and potential resignation.	High	Anti-harassment and sexual harassment policy stating zero tolerance, with examples and clear reporting routes. All staff complete harassment training. Leadership visibly models expected behaviour.	Move from annual training to scenario-based role-based specific training refreshed at least annually, train managers separately on receiving and handling reports. Responsible: [Name] Target: [xx/xx/xxxx]	Medium
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Declaration

Managers should monitor and review the application of the specified controls.

Prepared by:	[Assessor name]	Date:	[Date]
Signature (competent person/authorised manager)	[Competent person signature]	Date:	[Date]

I certify that all controls are in place which reduce risk to as low as is reasonably practicable, that all relevant staff have been informed, and that safe systems of work have been applied.

Risk rating guidance

This is your evaluation of the potential impact and likelihood of harm occurring in your business. Apply professional judgement against the descriptions below.

Risk rating	Action required
High For example: Serious harm, a fatality or major injury to several people is possible, even if infrequent. Risk of a significant financial penalties and reputational damage.	Immediate action required. Do not start or continue the activity until the risk is reduced to Medium or Low.
Medium For example: Major injury or harm to one or a few people occurring infrequently, or an injury needing more than first aid.	Requires attention as soon as possible. Add controls to reduce the risk towards Low.
Low For example: Minor harm or injury occurring infrequently to a few people.	Not a priority. Maintain existing controls. Act if the risk is not already as low as is reasonably practicable.

Use template

Put this all into practice

A harassment risk assessment is only one part of the picture. To meet the legal duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, you also need the right policies in place, managers who are trained to handle concerns appropriately, and clear records that show what action has been taken. Breathe helps bring those HR and compliance essentials together in one place, making it easier to stay organised, follow up on findings and keep everything connected.

You can test out Breathe for yourself for free for 14 days. And, if you’d like expert HR, legal or health and safety advice, Omny Group is here to help.

Try Breathe for free for 14 days Contact Omny Group

Frequently asked questions

Why do employers need to prevent sexual harassment at work?

Preventing sexual harassment is not just about avoiding problems when they happen. It is about creating a safe, respectful workplace and taking practical steps to reduce risk before issues arise.

It is also a legal responsibility. The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 places a duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment at work. And since October 2024 employers have had a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment at work. From October 1 2026, this duty rises again to taking all reasonable steps, plus employers also need to do more to protect workers from harassment by third parties such as clients, customers and contractors.
How common is sexual harassment at work?

Sexual harassment at work is sadly still far more common than many employers realise. Research shows that 52% of women experience sexual harassment at work.

In real workplace settings, an employee may be sexually harassed by a colleague, manager, customer or contractor, and not every person will feel able to report it. That is why employers need to stay aware of the risk, take concerns seriously and treat sexual harassment, bullying and other unwanted behaviour as issues that need clear action, not something that can be ignored.
What counts as unwanted behaviour and what counts as bullying at work?

Unwanted behaviour can cover a wide range of conduct. Sexual harassment can be verbal, non-verbal or physical, and it does not need to be directed at one specific person to have an impact.

Bullying is slightly different, but it can still be serious. It usually involves offensive or intimidating behaviour that makes someone feel unsafe, undermined or distressed.
What does the Equality Act 2010 say about harassment?

Harassment is defined in the Equality Act 2010. In simple terms, it is unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic that violates someone’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them.

It is also important to remember that harassment can still happen even if the person responsible did not mean to cause harm. The effect on the person experiencing it matters.
Which protected characteristics should employers think about in a risk assessment?

A good risk assessment should not take a one-size-fits-all approach. It should identify the hazards in your workplace and look at whether some people or groups may face a higher risk than others.

That includes considering protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, as well as factors like lone working, client-facing roles, power imbalances and workplace culture. The template above should help you identify hazards and think carefully about vulnerable groups who may be affected differently.
Does harassment related to sexual orientation count even if it is meant as banter?

Yes. Harassment related to sexual orientation can still be unlawful even if someone says they were joking or did not mean any harm.

If the behaviour is unwanted and it violates someone’s dignity or creates an offensive or hostile environment, it can still count as harassment. That is why clear standards, training and consistent follow-up all matter.
What should a harassment risk assessment include?

A harassment risk assessment should help you identify where risks could arise, who could be affected and what controls are already in place.

It should also set out any further action needed, who is responsible for it and when it should be completed. In practice, that means looking at things like policies, reporting routes, training, manager confidence, third-party risks and whether particular groups may be more exposed to harm.
How should employers monitor whether their approach is working?

Monitoring should go beyond having a policy on paper. Employers should track the number and type of complaints raised, look for patterns and review whether the response was timely and effective.

This kind of monitoring can help you spot recurring issues, understand whether certain teams or roles are more exposed to risk and decide where extra action is needed.
How often should a harassment risk assessment be reviewed?

It should be reviewed regularly, not filed away and forgotten. A review is especially important after an incident, after a complaint trend emerges, or when workplace policies, working arrangements or team structures change.

Regular reviews help make sure the assessment still reflects what is really happening in the business and that the controls in place are still appropriate.

Sexual harassment and harassment risk assessment template