How to Proactively Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Many assume that sexual harassment in the workplace is a thing of the past. Some argue that we’ve done more than enough on our path towards gender equality – that “feminism has gone too far”, and ‘cancel culture’ reigns supreme...

And yet, recent studies show that 43% of women have experienced at least three incidents of sexual harassment. 25% say they avoided certain work situations, like meetings, courses, locations and shifts, to avoid the perpetrator. 18% left their job as a result of this incident.

It’s 2025, and sexual harassment is still prevalent in our society: at home, on the street, and at work.
But what is being done to make the workplace safer for all? And how can you play your part?

What is Sexual Harassment?

Sexual harassment is simply defined as unwanted and inappropriate sexual remarks or advances in either a social or professional situation. There are many examples of sexual harassment which were previously normalised, such as catcalling, sexual remarks and inappropriate jokes. Even less than a decade ago, many women and girls perceived catcalls and car honks on the way to work as an unfortunate part of their daily routine. Yet, with the rise of the #MeToo movement, women stopped feeling conditioned to ignore or shrug off such harassment – and, instead, speak out.

Don’t forget, sexual harassment in the workplace begins with your journey to and from work. General Manager Ellen told us of a specific incident at her company, where there wasn’t an in-house issue, but rather one with a neighbouring business:

“We work on an industrial estate, and we had a scaffolding company next to us, with an all-male workforce. It was quite an uncomfortable feeling driving into the office: it was always the women they would watch, but we felt we couldn’t tell someone to not stare or look in a certain direction! It always felt like something we had to tolerate; every female in the workplace felt it.

One day, a young female employee was really upset, and came to see me. She’d walked from the car park to the front of the office, and was wolf-whistled and spoken about in another language (Polish). She spoke fluent Polish so understood all the sexual remarks they were making. She felt really anxious and on-edge, but didn’t feel she could confront it there and then. As a woman walking alone past multiple men, I understood why she didn’t feel confident to address them.

I told her that she was absolutely within her rights to feel how she feels, and that it was unacceptable, derogatory behaviour. I then went and spoke to the owner of the other business, and told them what had happened and the impact it had had, not just on one member of staff, but collectively in the company. Thankfully, the owner was really receptive and empathised with the situation – agreeing that it was intolerable behaviour. We luckily had a very positive solution, whereby they called in their entire workforce, and educated them on the right behaviours they should display. We’ve never had an issue since.”

This is just one example of a myriad of behaviours that are designed to make women uncomfortable. It’s also important not to disregard your journey to work: this is how you start your day, and you should feel safe and respected at all times.


Sexual harassment can also be prevalent within the workplace, and is particularly problematic when power dynamics are at play. Rights of Women Sexual Harassment at Work Advice Line found that "nearly two out of three callers (59%) said they had received ‘less favourable treatment’ after rejecting or submitting to sexual harassment or reporting the harassment to their employer.”

Even in such socially aware times, there are many unfavourable outcomes for victims at work. This can range from a failure to properly investigate the incident, to subsequent bullying or threats of dismissal. There have, unfortunately, even been numerous cases of unfair dismissal, or denial of job promotion or employment benefit.

Sexual harassment statistically affects more women than men. This is unsurprising, given the outdated patriarchal values which many companies were built upon; despite much progress being made, with a rapid increase of female entrepreneurs (women started 49% of new businesses last year!), there are some industries – and individuals - that are problematically stuck in the past.


However, sexual harassment and assault of men is still an important issue – which is often overlooked or dismissed due to harmful gender stereotypes. In one study, it was found that 40% of women and 18% of men experienced some form of unwanted sexual behaviour at work. Some people deny that sexual harassment ever happens to men – and yet, here it is, in black and white. Were you expecting that statistic?

Introducing the Worker Protection Act 2023

The Worker Protection Act 2023 is designed to empower employees of all gender identities to speak out – without fear of the aforementioned ramifications. This act officially launched on the 26th October 2024, so is still a recent addition to company policies. But what does it entail?

This new legislation introduced a professional and legal duty for employers to have a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of sexual harassment. What’s more, they are required to proactively take steps to prevent it from happening in the first place.

ACAS Head of Inclusive Workplaces Julie Dennis said:

"Sexual harassment is unacceptable at work or anywhere else. We want everyone to understand this, and we are urging employers to take a proactive approach to stamping it out.

Proper policies and training for managers can help eliminate the potential for sexual harassment to occur. They can also help foster environments where staff feel empowered to report any harassment and avoid it before it occurs."

The Pivotal Role of HR Managers

HR Managers are set to play a pivotal part in this new legislation, having undergone specific training to ensure that they’re aware of the formal processes to follow when handling a case of sexual harassment.

Employee training in general should be both educational and proactive. With sexual harassment prevention, there should be a big emphasis on education: these are inherited behaviours that people have been getting away with for decades with little to no backlash. Many companies have received tailored sexual harassment training as a result of the new legislation: learning what constitutes sexual harassment, how the receiver can be made to feel, the negative consequences of such behaviour, and the red flags of a hostile work environment.

The training also aims to instil confidence in any employee who witnesses or is subjected to sexual harassment, empowering them to speak up. It should therefore be made clear what the reporting mechanisms are, and how, as a company, you will approach sexual harassment through preventative measures. Most importantly, you should stress that if ever it did occur, you would take it seriously, support and act.

Speaking of her experiences working in HR, Ellen said:

“It's a lot of pressure on an individual – you do feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders sometimes! But I like helping people and making a difference; that’s what drove me to this role in the first place. I like that people trust me to be able to come to me with sensitive issues that they may not be able to navigate themselves, and are actively seeking that help.

It’s really important that you have someone in a company who you can go to for support, and you can trust that person to share sensitive information with, and trust that they will take you seriously. I appreciate that people see that in me. It’s a two-sided coin really – with a significant emphasis on the positive.”

How Can Global Training Help Your Company?

At Global Training, we offer a range of services which can support your team. Our workshops can be either virtual or in-person, and we work with both managers and full teams. Whether you feel that problematic dynamics stem from senior leadership or are deep-rooted with your team, we can tailor our workshops to you.

One of our particularly unique services is creating high impact bespoke training films. We go to companies who may be faced with a specific issue within their team, and spend time immersing ourselves in their culture – listening, learning and collating real-life stories from employees. This allows us to devise a truth-driven piece which we hope will make a very real difference.

Whilst employees remain anonymous, we then repurpose their stories in an original script, which we bring to life with a cast of talented actors, directed by our founder Emma Gersch. The final product is a completely bespoke training film, tailor-made for your team and the real issues that they face. For us, this work is purposeful, human and life affirming.

Sexual harassment is an incredibly sensitive yet important topic. For this reason, a bespoke training film could be just what your team needs to open their eyes to the issue, allowing them to put themselves in the shoes of their co-workers.

We recently worked with South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) to devise and deliver a training film to improve their work culture. Team members were greatly impacted by the final product:

“Every actor chosen was perfect for their assigned roles. Their ability to really embrace those characters was exceptional. I’ve watched the actors dozens of times and still find myself invested and entranced by their performances.”

“We really enjoyed meeting the wider creative team... the care and attention they put into the preparation for the project was outstanding.” “It’s a great learning tool that helps hear everyone’s voice and tailor support depending on the needs and fears revealed. A pivotal piece of the journey for change.” Similarly, in our discussion with General Manager Ellen, we posed the idea of a bespoke training film to her - and she seemed very keen on the idea:

“I would absolutely say that (a bespoke training film) is how you’re going to better engage with your workforce. A PowerPoint presentation or decades’ old video can be very generic, it’s not something you can relate to – it’ll go in one ear, and out the other. Something tailor-made to a company that has an issue they really need to address will ensure engagement from the workforce and improve understanding, allowing them to relate to what’s happening.”

Get in touch via georgie@wearegtg.co.uk to start the conversation. We’d love to make a bespoke training film that will truly resonate with your team, or if you’re looking for in-person action, we also offer Courageous Conversations workshops which will inspire employees to speak up and engage in those difficult conversations.

Every voice matters. Every story counts.