About the course
Line managers are central to an employer’s ability to prevent sexual harassment.
They are often the first people to observe changes in workplace behaviour, receive a complaint or identify risks arising from team dynamics, social events, customer contact or inappropriate workplace culture.
What a manager says and does at the earliest stage can significantly affect the individual raising the concern, the fairness of any subsequent process and the organisation’s legal position.
This half-day course provides managers and leaders with the legal knowledge, practical tools and confidence needed to prevent inappropriate behaviour, intervene early and respond appropriately when concerns are raised.
The session will cover:
Understanding the legal framework
- What amounts to sexual harassment under the Equality Act 2010
- The employer’s preventative duty
- The move from reasonable steps to all reasonable steps
- Employer liability for the actions of employees
- Current and forthcoming responsibilities concerning third-party harassment
- Employment tribunal risks and the potential compensation uplift
- Victimisation and whistleblowing protections
Recognising and assessing workplace risks
- Identifying higher-risk roles, environments and working arrangements
- Risks arising from customers, clients, contractors and visitors
- Lone working, night work, travel and overnight accommodation
- Workplace social events and alcohol
- Online communication, messaging platforms and social media
- Power imbalances, insecure work and dependency on managers for shifts or opportunities
- Recognising early warning signs and patterns of behaviour
- Using sexual harassment risk assessments and action plans effectively
Creating a preventative culture
- Setting and reinforcing clear standards
- Leading by example
- Addressing inappropriate comments and conduct before they escalate
- Challenging “banter” and normalised behaviour
- Encouraging employees and witnesses to speak up
- Avoiding a culture in which concerns are minimised or dismissed
- Working effectively with HR and senior leadership
Receiving and responding to concerns
- How to respond when someone raises a concern
- Listening without judging, dismissing or investigating prematurely
- Avoiding promises of complete confidentiality
- Explaining the possible next steps
- Supporting the individual raising the concern
- Considering immediate protective measures
- Avoiding retaliation, victimisation and detriment
- Recording and escalating concerns appropriately
- Distinguishing between a personal complaint, grievance and potential protected disclosure
Handling complaints fairly
- Informal and formal reporting options
- When informal action may or may not be appropriate
- The importance of a prompt and impartial process
- Supporting all parties while maintaining appropriate boundaries
- Managing team relationships during an investigation
- Avoiding common managerial mistakes
- Restoring working relationships and monitoring the workplace after a complaint
Practical case studies
Delegates will work through realistic scenarios involving:
- Inappropriate workplace jokes and messages
- Conduct described as harmless flirting or banter
- A customer making sexual comments to an employee
- Concerns raised informally during a supervision meeting
- A witness reporting behaviour affecting another colleague
- Allegations involving a senior or high-performing employee
- Behaviour at a work social event
- A complaint that may also amount to whistleblowing
The scenarios will help managers decide what they should say, what they should record, when they should intervene and when the matter must be escalated.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, delegates will be able to:
- Explain the organisation’s legal duty to prevent sexual harassment
- Recognise workplace and third-party risk factors
- Identify conduct that requires early managerial intervention
- Challenge inappropriate behaviour confidently and proportionately
- Receive concerns sensitively without compromising a subsequent process
- Recognise potential victimisation and whistleblowing issues
- Escalate and record concerns appropriately
- Support a fair and effective complaints process
- Take practical action to strengthen workplace culture and reduce risk
Course structure and delivery
This half-day online course will be delivered live through Zoom.
Delegates will receive a comprehensive workbook containing practical guidance, manager prompts, case studies and materials that can be used as a reference after the course.
The session is interactive and discussion-led, providing managers with the opportunity to explore the workplace situations they are most likely to encounter.
- Date: Wednesday 28 Oct, 2026
- Time: 9.30 – 13.30
- Delivery: Zoom
Price
- £236.50 + VAT per delegate
- Watertight client: £215 + VAT per delegate
- Charities: £215 + VAT per delegate
Please note: Discounts cannot be combined.
To book your place contact us today on 0333 888 1360 or email [email protected]
