Written by Heidi Wadsworth | 24th March 2026
All employers have a duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace. As well as avoiding injury and illness, this means protecting your people from bullying, harassment, discrimination and other inappropriate behaviours.
Legislation, which came into force on 26th October 2024, means you, as an employer, are under a statutory duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. As of October 2026, this will be extended to all reasonable steps.
We offer Dignity at Work training for managers and Dignity at Work training for employees around preventing discrimination, bullying, and harassment in the workplace. These courses cover the legal “need-to-knows” as well as give bespoke and practical advice about how to approach the topic in your company.
⚠️ Important reminder: If your organisation has previously delivered Dignity at Work training, you may be due, or even overdue, refresher training to continue to show you’re taking reasonable steps. Keep reading to find out more or contact us to check if you need refresher training by emailing: training@realityhr.co.uk or calling: 01256 328428
Check if I’m due Dignity at Work refresher training
Failure to take such steps could lead to tribunals increasing any compensation won by an employee who has been sexually harassed by up to 25%.
While the specifics of which steps may be reasonable might vary between organisations, every employer has a responsibility to actively assess risks and implement necessary and appropriate measures to prevent harassment from happening in their workplace.
We recommend that the following steps should be undertaken by all, as a starting point, to protect your employees:
Refresh your Dignity at Work and anti-harassment policies
Review and refresh your Dignity at Work and bullying and harassment policies and re-circulate to all staff, so they know what behaviour is expected of them.
This should outline unacceptable behaviour, how to report issues and seek support, the procedures that will be followed when handling allegations of bullying and any type of harassment, and the consequences for violating this policy.
Make sure any issues are dealt with quickly in line with these policies – your people managers must have the knowledge, skills and accountability to do this – so staff will trust that inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated and that complaints will be taken seriously.
Provide Dignity at Work training
⚠️ Important reminder: If your organisation has previously delivered Dignity at Work training, you may be due, or even overdue, refresher training to continue to show you’re taking reasonable steps. Read the next section to find out more or contact us to check by emailing: training@realityhr.co.uk or calling: 01256 328428
It is not enough only to write and issue policies – employers must be able to demonstrate that every employee really understands what behaviours are acceptable and knows the consequences if they breach this. From Day 1, as part of your induction process for all new joiners, and throughout their time working with you, there should be regular briefings and training sessions for all. Training must be up-to-date, bespoke to your organisation and meaningful, and its impact should be evaluated afterwards to check it is having the right effect. This type of training is likely to be the first thing a tribunal judge will look for when hearing a harassment case, and expired training or training that is no more than a tick-box exercise, is unlikely to meet the “reasonable steps” defence.
Our Dignity at Work training for managers and Dignity at Work training for employees covers the legal “need-to-knows” as well as giving bespoke and practical advice about how to approach this in your company.
As well as looking at employer and employee rights and responsibilities, these workshops also cover the types of discrimination, how to recognise it and how to support the needs of individuals. They explore the idea of unconscious bias and its impact, give guidance on what to say (and what not to say!), and look at how proactively tackling discrimination and inappropriate behaviour will help create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
⚠️ When and how to provide training and refreshers to stay compliant
We advise providing full Dignity at Work training for all employees then ensuring you follow up with regular, at least yearly, refresher courses to ensure you remain compliant. As we’ve mentioned, the first thing a tribunal judge is likely to look for when hearing a harassment case is what training has been provided and when it was provided is an important factor.
As well as providing initial, comprehensive Dignity at Work training, we offer a refresher or top up course so you can show you’re continuing to take reasonable steps. This course includes an overview of the legal framework on sexual harassment and its definition, reporting, employee rights and responsibilities, and promoting inclusive workplace behaviour.
Contact us to discuss Dignity at Work training requirements
Ensure you have an effective reporting system
We recommend taking a fresh look at what is really happening in your organisation. If issues have occurred previously, ensure lessons were learnt about how it could have been prevented.
Put in place (if you don’t have already) a reporting system for complaints about all forms of harassment in the workplace. Think about how complaints are addressed. For example, how do employees report harassment if it has come from their superior?
As well as spotting issues early, it will be important to detect any trends and resolve any underlying issues which might enable harassment to occur.
Create a culture of open communication
It’s important that employees feel safe and able to speak up about inappropriate behaviour without fear of retaliation. This starts with actively promoting and modelling your policies and procedures – at senior and management level.
Let employees know you’re there to help – leaders and people managers must be approachable so that employees feel they can speak up in confidence without judgement.
If you create a healthy work culture where values are clear, everyone is treated with respect and works as a team, then employees are likely to treat each other in the right way.
Dignity at Work support and resources available to you
At Reality HR we recommend full, comprehensive Dignity at Work training for managers and employees and continuous follow-on refresher training each year after full, initial training. For support with reviewing your approach to Dignity at Work including your policies, procedures and training, please get in touch with our team by emailing: info@realityhr.co.uk or calling: 01256 328428
For a complimentary review of your current approach to Dignity At Work, download and complete our Dignity at Work checklist on our website and contact us via the above details.
About the author: Heidi Wadsworth, Head of Learning & Development | New Business Lead
Heidi takes a hands-on, pragmatic approach to learning and development and new business , working directly with clients to understand their unique challenges, culture, and environment. She combines her extensive cross sector experience in hospitality, retail, and manufacturing with a practical understanding of what works in real workplace situations.
Heidi’s strength lies in her ability to see the bigger picture while managing the practical details. She ensures every training programme empowers delegates to achieve excellence in their roles, creating lasting change that benefits both individuals and the organisation.