Workplace sexual harassment
Know where you stand
Information you can actually use
Sexual harassment at work is more common than most people realise, and the law around it is not as widely understood as it should be. This site explains that law in plain English — what counts as sexual harassment, what your employer is required to do about it, what your options are if something has happened to you, and what to expect if you take a complaint further. No jargon and no assumption that you have already decided what you want to do.
What counts as sexual harassment?
Sexual harassment is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of violating your dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for you. It does not have to be physical, does not have to be repeated, and does not have to be directed at you personally. The law also catches being treated less favourably for rejecting or submitting to such conduct.
Your employer’s duty
Since October 2024, employers have been under a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers. That sits alongside the existing protections in the Equality Act 2010. Find out what the duty means in practice and what a workplace getting it right should look like.
Harassment by customers and clients
The law is changing to better protect employees from harassment by third parties — customers, clients, patients, contractors, members of the public. Your employer’s duty to prevent harassment will extend to them.
Raising a concern at work
Informal conversations, grievances, HR processes, whistleblowing. What each option involves, what protections you have for speaking up, and what to expect from your employer once you have.
Settlements and NDAs
Settlement agreements, non-disclosure clauses, and the limits of what you can lawfully be required to keep confidential. What to look for, and what to push back on, before you sign.
Going to the employment tribunal
What an Employment Tribunal claim actually looks like — the time limits (which are short), ACAS early conciliation, the hearing itself, and what compensation a successful claim can recover.
Written by lawyers
Content is drafted and reviewed against the actual statutes, statutory codes of practice, and decided cases — not recycled from other websites.
Relevant and up-to-date
The law in this area is changing. Every page carries a date showing when it was last reviewed, so you know what you are reading is up to date.
Plain English
No Latin, no jargon dumps. Where a legal term matters, we explain it. Where it doesn’t, we leave it out.
Free and independent
Free to access information and guidance.
Getting Started
Sometimes you need advice on your own situation.
This site is here to help you understand the law. It cannot tell you what to do in your particular circumstances — that depends on facts, evidence, and judgement calls that a solicitor advising you directly can help you to make. If you have read enough to know you want advice on your case, we can put you in touch with an employment solicitor who handles sexual harassment matters. Initial advice is on a paid basis; you will be told what it costs before anything starts.
Speak to a solicitor
About
A clear, independent resource on the law of workplace sexual harassment.
sexualharassment.uk is a non-commercial information site about the law of workplace sexual harassment in the UK. It is written and maintained by employment lawyers.
The focus is to make the law on this subject easier to understand for the people most likely to need it. The law has changed in recent years and continues to develop — both in the statutes and in the cases the tribunals are deciding. Where we can help is in keeping the explanation accurate, current, and written for the people the law is there to protect.
More about the siteSexual harassment at work FAQs
Common questions
Sexual harassment is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of violating your dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. It does not have to be physical, does not have to be repeated, and does not have to be directed at you personally. Whether particular conduct meets that threshold depends on your perception, the circumstances, and whether it is reasonable for the conduct to have had the effect it did.
There is no general legal requirement to raise the matter internally before doing anything else. In many cases there are practical reasons to do so — it gives the employer the chance to address the behaviour. But the right answer depends on the circumstances, including how serious the conduct is, how safe you feel at work, and what outcome you want.
Generally speaking the time limit for a sexual harassment claim is three months (less one day) from the date the harassment occured. The rules around this, and changes in the law, are explained in more detail on the site.
The law specifically protects you from being treated badly because you have complained about sexual harassment, or because you have supported someone else who has. That is called victimisation and is itself unlawful under the Equality Act 2010. It does not mean retaliation never happens, but it is unlawful when it does, and a tribunal will take it seriously.
An Employment Tribunal can award compensation for financial losses such as lost earnings, an injury-to-feelings award for the personal impact of the harassment, and in some cases aggravated damages and compensation for personal injury where the harassment has caused a recognised psychiatric condition. There is no cap on compensation in discrimination and harassment claims. A tribunal can also make recommendations about steps the employer should take to reduce the impact on you and on others at the workplace.
A settlement agreement is a legally binding contract under which you usually receive a payment in exchange for agreeing not to bring or continue a claim. Confidentiality clauses (NDAs) are common, but they cannot lawfully stop you reporting a crime, cooperating with regulators, or making other protected disclosures. You must take independent legal advice on the agreement before signing it, and the employer normally pays a contribution towards the cost of that advice.