Employment Rights Act

With the forthcoming Employment Rights Act placing a stronger, proactive duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment, we’re seeing many organisations take stock of how prepared they really are. On paper, there may already be policies in place, and training may even have been delivered. But from our experience, many businesses aren’t as ready as they think.

Moving Beyond Compliance

Compliance is no longer about having a policy tucked away in a handbook. The focus is shifting towards active prevention by creating workplace cultures where inappropriate behaviour is understood, challenged and prevented before it escalates. That takes more than a tick-box exercise. It requires meaningful engagement, honest reflection and lasting behavioural change.

One of the biggest challenges we see is that traditional approaches often fall short. Generic e-learning modules and one-off training sessions rarely create the depth of understanding or emotional connection needed to change workplace culture. People may complete the training, but they don’t always take it with them into their day-to-day interactions. Without that, meaningful change is unlikely.

What Effective Training Looks Like

For us, it starts with trauma-informed, engaging training. We recognise the complexity of sexual harassment, the impact it has on individuals, and the barriers that often prevent people from speaking up. Rather than focusing solely on policies and legal definitions, we create space for genuine conversations, helping participants understand not just what constitutes harassment, but why it matters and how they can help prevent it.

When training is delivered in this way, something shifts. People lean in. They ask questions. They reflect on their own behaviours, their assumptions and their workplace culture. Most importantly, the conversation doesn’t stop when the session ends. It continues within teams, leadership meetings and everyday workplace interactions.

Why Train with Survivors’ Network?

At Survivors’ Network, we bring decades of experience supporting survivors and facilitating conversations around sexual violence and harassment. Our training is grounded in both professional expertise and the realities of the people we support every day. That means our sessions are practical, sensitive and rooted in real-world experience rather than theory alone.

Our workplace training has been consistently well received because it moves beyond compliance and into meaningful culture change. Organisations we’ve worked with tell us they leave with a greater understanding of sexual harassment, increased confidence to challenge inappropriate behaviour, and a more open culture where difficult conversations feel possible.

What’s more, Survivors’ Network is a registered Rape and Sexual Violence Support Service delivering frontline support to survivors in our area. Every penny generated through our workplace training is reinvested into these vital services, meaning your training budget doesn’t just create a safer workplace; it also helps support survivors in our community.

A Chance to Create Safer Workplaces

As these new legal duties come into force, employers have a choice. They can do the minimum required, risking not only a potential 25% uplift in tribunal compensation for failing to take reasonable preventative steps, but also the wider cost to staff wellbeing and workplace culture. Or they can use this as an opportunity to build workplaces where respect, safety and accountability are embedded every day.

We believe the right training isn’t just about meeting a legal obligation. It’s about creating environments where everyone can feel safe, respected and able to thrive. With the right approach, that’s entirely achievable.

Find out more about our workplace training and consultancy services: Training & Consultancy