Workplace Sexual Harassment Risk Assessment Template

Employers have a new legal obligation to proactively prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. By using this workplace sexual harassment risk assessment template and amending it to address the risks inherent in your specific organisation, you can take a significant step towards ensuring compliance with your legal duties.

Our workplace sexual harassment risk assessment template is intended to be merely a guide. It identifies a number of potential risk factors, but not all. You must consider whether those risks apply to your business, and also whether any additional risks need to be addressed. For the purposes of this workplace sexual harassment risk assessment template, we have assumed your organisation has a Sexual Harassment Policy in place. If you have not, we can assist you in producing one.

Our HR and employment law specialists have been assisting small businesses like yours in understanding their legal obligations and taking appropriate steps to comply with them. We offer commercially focused advice to keep your business tribunal free at incredibly competitive rates.

Risk Assessment Template For Sexual Harassment

Description of risk	Who could be at risk	Description of any measures already in place to prevent the risk	What additional measures could you implement to further mitigate the risk	Nominate personnel to implement the additional measures
Lone working	Employees and contractors whose roles necessitate working alone. Consider any workers who may have a significant workload that means they regularly stay after hours. Consider whether junior employees may feel compelled to work late to impress their managers.	Comprehensive Sexual Harassment Policy that describes what constitutes sexual harassment, how workers can report incidents they have experienced or witnessed, and how you will handle such reports.	Training and education on the standards of behaviour expected in your organisation. Training and education on the terms of your Sexual Harassment Policy. Ensure all employees understand how to make a complaint of sexual harassment. Enforce Sexual Harassment Policy consistently.	Ensure you nominate suitably senior personnel
Imbalances of power between staff members.	Junior workers or anyone in a hierarchy.	Comprehensive Sexual Harassment Policy that describes what constitutes sexual harassment, how workers can report incidents they have experienced or witnessed, and how you will handle such reports.	Training and education on the standards of behaviour expected in your organisation. Training and education on the terms of your Sexual Harassment Policy. Ensure all employees understand how to make a complaint of sexual harassment. Analyse working relationships within your business to identify specific risks. Provide training specifically for workers in positions of power. Ensure junior staff members feel supported.	Ensure you nominate suitably senior personnel.
Out of work social events	All employees and contractors.	Comprehensive Sexual Harassment Policy that describes what constitutes sexual harassment, how workers can report incidents they have experienced or witnessed, and how you will handle such reports.	Training and education on the standards of behaviour expected in your organisation, reiterating that those standards extend to work-related social events. Training and education on the terms of your Sexual Harassment Policy. Analyse working relationships within your business to identify specific risks. Ensure all employees understand how to make a complaint of sexual harassment. Stress that excessive alcohol consumption is actively discouraged. Supervise social events and take appropriate action against anyone who appears to be a particular risk. Ensure all workers can get home from the event safely.	Ensure you nominate suitably senior personnel.
Interactions between staff on social media	All employees and contractors.	Comprehensive Sexual Harassment Policy that describes what constitutes sexual harassment, how workers can report incidents they have experienced or witnessed, and how you will handle such reports.	Training and education on the standards of behaviour expected in your organisation. Training and education on the terms of your Sexual Harassment Policy. Ensure all employees understand how to make a complaint of sexual harassment. Enforce Sexual Harassment Policy consistently. Implement a social media policy and ensure all employees are familiar with your expectations surrounding social media use.	Ensure you nominate suitably senior personnel.
Workplace culture	All employees and contractors.	Comprehensive Sexual Harassment Policy that describes what constitutes sexual harassment, how workers can report incidents they have experienced or witnessed, and how you will handle such reports.	Training and education on the standards of behaviour expected in your organisation. Training and education on the terms of your Sexual Harassment Policy. Ensure all employees understand how to make a complaint of sexual harassment. Enforce Sexual Harassment Policy consistently. Ensure all employees understand that jokes of a sexual nature and ‘banter’ can constitute sexual harassment. Assess whether the culture within your organisation is such that inappropriate behaviour is prevalent. Potential measures include considering the number of sexual harassment complaints made to date, interviewing a sample of your workforce to get a feel for the general impression of the culture within the workplace, and carrying out periodic surveys.	Ensure you nominate suitably senior personnel.