Why sexual harassment prevention training is a non-negotiable

Sexual harassment prevention training is one of the clearest ways to show you’ve taken all reasonable steps to prevent harassment at work. From 30 October 2026, the Employment Rights Act 2025 requires UK employers to take all reasonable stps, not just some. Training gives everyone the knowledge to recognise, report and stop sexual harassment at work.

Sexual harassment at work is rarely out of the news headlines. It’s an issue that continues to be a workplace reality, and one that damages trust, morale and psychological safety.

From 30 October 2026, UK employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees, not just reasonable steps. This change comes from section 20 of the Employment Rights Act 2025. Preventing harassment has always been the right thing to do. Under the higher standard, doing just the basics isn’t enough: employers must go further than publishing a policy and hoping for the best.

This is where effective training comes in. A robust sexual harassment eLearning course helps people understand what harassment looks like, and how to stop it. That, in turn, creates real cultural change.

In this article:

• What are the October 2026 changes to employers’ responsibilities around sexual harassment prevention?
• Is sexual harassment training mandatory in the UK?
• What is the cost of failing to prevent sexual harassment?
• When a policy isn’t enough: put training into practice
• What should sexual harassment prevention training cover?
• Why sexual harassment prevention eLearning works
• How Ciphr eLearning can help with sexual harassment prevention training
• FAQs

What are the October 2026 changes to employers’ responsibilities around sexual harassment prevention?

From 30 October 2026, employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. They can also be liable when a third party, such as a customer or client, harasses their staff. Employers will need to show there was nothing further they could reasonably have done.

Acas sets out what the higher bar means in practice:

• Taking all the steps that are reasonable for your organisation, rather than just some of them
• Focusing on prevention rather than only reacting to incidents, and applying those steps across the whole organisation rather than only where something has already gone wrong
• Mitigating against online harassment as well as in-person incidents

Third-party harassment is now in scope

From 30 October 2026, employers must not permit a third party to harass their employees (section 21). A third party is anyone other than the employer or its employees, such as customers, clients, contractors and members of the public.

The duty covers sexual harassment and harassment related to most protected characteristics. A first incident can create liability.

The existing penalties still apply

Since 26 October 2024, tribunals can add up to 25% to sexual harassment compensation where an employer breached the duty (Equality Act 2010, section 124A). The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) can also enforce the duty, even if no harassment has happened.

Key dates for employers:

Is sexual harassment training mandatory in the UK?

No UK law names sexual harassment training as a legal requirement for every employer. But the Equality Act 2010 requires employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, rising to ‘all reasonable steps’ from 30 October 2026.

The EHRC’s eight-step guide for employers lists training for workers, managers and senior staff as one of the steps. Without training, it’s hard to show a tribunal or the EHRC that you took all reasonable steps.

Regulations may later list steps that count as reasonable (section 22), but this is not expected before 2027. Until then, the EHRC guidance is the practical standard.

What is the cost of failing to prevent sexual harassment?

Unaddressed sexual harassment exposes your organisation to legal, financial and reputational risk. Most importantly, it leaves employees feeling unsafe.

Financially, the 25% compensation uplift applies, and employees now have six months, not three, to bring most claims.

For employees, organisations that fail to address and prevent sexual harassment aren’t worth sticking around for. A 2023 TUC study found that nearly one in five (18%) victims of sexual harassment at work left their job as a result of how they were treated.

Higher turnover, lower engagement and reputational damage are just some of the key costs organisations face for not taking harassment seriously.

When a policy isn’t enough: put training into practice

Since 26 October 2024, the Worker Protection Act 2023 has given organisations a legal responsibility to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. This duty shifts the focus from reacting to complaints to actively preventing harassment before it happens.

What does this mean for organisations?

• You can’t just wait for harassment to take place to act
• You must be proactive in assessing risks, implementing preventative measures and creating a culture of respect

“With the new ‘all reasonable steps’ duty, it isn’t enough to have a policy on file. You need to show your people have been trained,” says Toby Gilchrist, head of digital content at Ciphr eLearning. “Ciphr’s learning management system (LMS) helps organisations get every employee through the course and gives HR clear completion records, so they can show the steps they’ve taken if they’re ever asked.”

Effective training is what makes behavioural change stick – not policies. Training gives people the knowledge and confidence to recognise and challenge harassment, which makes compliance practical, not theoretical. Remember, your sexual harassment policy and your training should tell the same story.

Ann Allcock, former head of diversity for Ciphr, shares: “One of the most effective steps that employers can take to prevent sexual harassment, as required under the Worker Protection Act, is to provide training for all staff. Everyone needs to know what sexual harassment in the workplace looks like and to understand the different forms that it can take.

“Bespoke eLearning also provides an additional route and platform to share policies and information about where and how to make a complaint or to get advice and support.”

Want to learn more about the preventative duty? Watch our on-demand webinar, Sexual harassment and the Worker Protection Act: are you compliant? (recorded before the Employment Rights Act 2025).

What should sexual harassment prevention training cover?

Robust sexual harassment prevention training covers what harassment is, how to report it and how to respond, with extra depth for some roles.

Start with the legal definition: unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that violates someone’s dignity or creates a hostile, degrading or offensive environment (Equality Act 2010, section 26).

Here’s what each group needs:

Sexual harassment training for managers

Managers are often the first person an employee tells. Since 6 April 2026, reporting sexual harassment counts as a protected disclosure (section 23), so a dismissive response now carries legal risk too.

Managers also need to act on early signs, such as ’banter’ aimed at one person.

Why sexual harassment prevention eLearning works

eLearning is engaging, accessible and memorable. Employees can work through it at their own pace, on a computer or mobile device, and revisit it for refreshers.

Ciphr’s sexual harassment prevention eLearning uses real-world scenarios to show how harassment appears at work, with practical advice on how to respond.

It’s also an effective way to raise a sensitive topic, and completion records give you evidence of the steps you’ve taken.

“The best harassment training doesn’t feel like a box-ticking exercise,” says Toby Gilchrist, head of digital content at Ciphr eLearning. “Short, scenario-based eLearning gives people the confidence to speak up and the language to challenge behaviour early. That’s what builds a culture of dignity and respect, not just compliance with the law.”

How Ciphr eLearning can help with sexual harassment prevention training

Ciphr’s sexual harassment course has been updated for the 30 October 2026 duty and includes a third-party harassment scenario. It takes around 20 minutes. Hundreds of organisations use it to build a culture of dignity and respect.

Our sexual harassment prevention eLearning covers:

• The legal definitions of harassment and sexual harassment
• The legislation that organisations must comply with, including the ‘all reasonable steps’ duty
• The behaviours that constitute sexual harassment, including harassment by third parties
• Practical guidance on how to act if you experience or witness sexual harassment

Ciphr eLearning has delivered training to over two million people. Need something tailored? Ask about bespoke eLearning.

FAQ: sexual harassment prevention training

 

This article was first published on 17 November 2025. It was updated on 30 September 2026, and again on 4 November 2026, to include the new duty for UK employers, effective from 30 October 2026, to take "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment at work, including harassment by third parties. 

This article is not legal advice. If you need legal advice, consult a qualified employment law expert.