The research carried out by Culture Shift, a company that aims to lead positive change in organisational culture, showed that around 45% of businesses across the UK were not aware of the new Worker Protection Act, let alone making changes to comply with its contents.
This comes despite 66% of respondents to the study stating that prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace was a matter of high importance within their companies.
Coming into effect on 26th October 2024, the new legislation seeks to impose stricter obligations on employers to prevent sexual harassment incidents from happening within the workplace, at work-related events (such as seasonal parties and working trips) and even at work social events.
The Act is an updated version of the Equality Act 2010 and creates a new legal duty for employers to be proactive in their attitude towards sexual harassment overall, rather than simply reacting to complaints made about incidents.
Culture Shift also found that 39% of respondents to the survey believe that more focus needs to be placed on harassment in the workplace, and around 33% of respondents believed that formal policies on harassment were still missing. It is worth noting that around 61% of respondents felt their organisation wasn’t well prepared to deal with sexual harassment issues.
CEO at Culture Shift, Gemma McCall, believes that awareness and preparation is clearly missing when it comes to the introduction of the new legislation. She said:
“From our research, it’s clear that there is a disconnect between perceptions of readiness and actual levels of preparedness for the introduction of the Worker Protection Act.
“With nearly half of respondents being aware of the upcoming Worker Protection Act, this lack of awareness could leave many unprepared for the new legal requirements, so it’s essential that organisations quickly get themselves up to speed to start putting the right measures in place.”
Employers who fail to comply with the new duty could face significant financial and reputational repercussions as a result.
Crucially, where an employer is found to have breached its duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, an employment tribunal may automatically uplift any damages awarded against them by up to 25%.
McCall continued, "Organisations that take proactive steps to prevent sexual harassment can not only avoid legal and financial penalties but also create safer, more productive work environments that attract and retain top talent.
“The key to success lies in moving beyond surface-level compliance to create fundamental cultural change. This requires a comprehensive approach that includes clear policies, effective training and a genuine commitment to accountability at all levels of the organisation and especially robust reporting mechanisms."
The CIPD have released those areas as:
UK employers now have a legal obligation to safeguard employees from harassment and sexual harassment and training aims to equip both employers and employees with the knowledge and tools to prevent, recognise, and address these issues effectively.
To help organisations implement proactive steps, we've developed two training modules:
For further details regarding our new training, please feel free to reach out to us via email at hello@getbriefed.com for more info.
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