Free Sexual Harassment Risk Assessment

Step 1 – Identify Risk Areas

Start with a critical look at your organisation. Where, when, and under what conditions is harassment more likely to occur? Look beyond what’s visible and think about patterns, environments, and relationships.

Use a combination of:

• Climate surveys and feedback mechanisms
• Past complaint data (both formal and informal)
• Observations from managers and team leaders
• Focus groups or interviews with at-risk groups

Common Workplace-Specific Risks

These environments often heighten vulnerability:

• Night shifts or lone working arrangements
• Isolated spaces like warehouses, stairwells, or stockrooms
• High-stress or target-driven settings
• Situations involving alcohol, such as social events
• Frontline roles involving interaction with the public
• Off-site activities like travel, conferences, or accommodation sharing

Common People-Based Risks

Certain workers face disproportionately higher risk due to their identity or status:

• Young, junior, or entry-level employees
• LGBT+, disabled, or staff from different ethnic backgrounds
• Migrant workers or those with limited English proficiency
• Freelancers, temp workers, and other precarious roles
• Workers who depend heavily on positive relationships with clients or managers

📌 TIP: Remember that risks aren’t always obvious. Microaggressions, power dynamics, or lack of reporting trust can all signal deeper systemic issues.

Step 2 – Gather Insight

Prevention must be informed by lived experience. Once you’ve identified risk areas, consult directly with staff to understand what’s working—and what isn’t.

Methods to Gather Insight:

• Anonymous surveys asking staff how safe they feel, where concerns lie, and what support they trust
• Listening sessions with employee resource groups (ERGs), equality, diversity and inclusion groups (EDIGs) unions, or support networks
• Trend analysis of previous complaints, even informal ones (“whisper networks” matter)
• One-on-one interviews with managers, cleaners, security staff, and others with unique perspectives

Prioritise Inclusion

Ensure you speak to those most impacted by the harassment risk. Make consultation accessible and safe. Offer translators, alternative formats, or community facilitators if needed.

 

“We can’t fix what we don’t understand. Hearing from those most affected is not just respectful—it’s essential.”

— ICENA

 

Step 3 – Evaluate Current Measures

Before creating new solutions, assess what’s already in place. Are your current systems working for everyone—or only for some?

Key Areas to Audit:

• Policy: Is your anti-harassment policy easy to find, intersectional, and up to date?
• Awareness: Do all workers (including casual, remote, and non-native speakers) know what harassment looks like and how to report it?
• Trust: Do staff believe reporting is taken seriously, fairly, and without negative consequences?
• Access: Are multiple reporting routes available—formally, informally, and anonymously?
• Support: What happens after a report is made? Is there pastoral support or trauma-informed care?

What “Good” Looks Like:

• A policy co-developed with a diverse representation of staff
• At least three reporting options: one formal, one informal, and one external (like a third-party hotline)
• Regular training that goes beyond “tick-box” compliance
• Leadership that models and reinforces respectful behaviour

📌 DON’T FORGET: Temporary workers, subcontractors, and those on probation should have equal protection and access to report concerns.

Step 4 – Fill Out & Implement

This is the heart of the process—translating risks into real, trackable action.

 

How to Fill Out the Template:

• Use your insights to document risks in detail
• Propose specific, contextual actions to address each risk
• Assign ownership—who is responsible for what?
• Set timelines, milestones, and priority levels
• Include a monitoring plan to revisit and review

 

Example Risk-to-Action Links:

• Risk: Staff working alone at night in a warehouse
  Action: Install cameras, improve lighting, and ensure security patrols include regular check-ins.
• Risk: Young staff unsure how to report harassment
  Action: Create a clear, visual “how-to-report” guide and circulate it during onboarding.
• Risk: Alcohol-fueled staff parties leading to boundary issues
  Action: Add behavioural codes of conduct to event invites and train team leads on safety oversight.

 

Assigning Accountability:

Make sure action items are not vague. Use job roles, not departments. For example:

• “Facilities Manager to review lighting in isolated areas by Sept 30”
• “HR Business Partner to pilot anonymous reporting tool by Q2”

📌 TRACK YOUR WORK: Use the monitoring log within the template to follow up on what’s completed and what’s outstanding.

 

Step 5 – Monitor & Review

Prevention is never one-and-done. Your risk profile will evolve as teams change, as new patterns emerge, and as you learn what works.

 

Embed Risk Review Into Culture:

• Add harassment risk review to your annual business planning cycle
• Review more often after incidents, restructures, or staff turnover
• Use quick “pulse surveys” to track how safe staff feel, not just what they report
• Publicly report on improvements or learning where appropriate

 

Signs Your Actions Are Working:

• Staff are increasingly aware of their rights and feel confident speaking up
• Incidents decline—but disclosures of past issues may temporarily increase
• Managers are better prepared and supported to intervene or respond
• Your workplace culture shifts from silent tolerance to active inclusion

📌 TIP: Consider a third-party facilitator for your first few reviews to ensure independence.

Beyond the Assessment: Building a Respectful Culture

 

Completing a risk assessment is just the start. Sustained change requires continuous attention to culture, communication, and leadership. ICENA can support you in your journey.

Reinforce a Zero-Tolerance Policy

• Add respectful conduct reminders to event invites, meeting intros, and team charters
• Display values-based messaging in break rooms, digital platforms, and communal spaces
• Include clauses in contracts and supplier agreements reflecting behavioural standards

 

Normalise Conversations About Respect

• Create regular spaces for reflection (e.g. in one to one and team meetings)
• Encourage upward feedback and manager accountability
• Highlight stories or case studies of respectful intervention or positive change

 

Train Your Staff and Managers. Training turns policy into practice.

Effective harassment prevention training should:

• Be mandatory for everyone—from interns to board members
• Include intersectional and trauma-informed content
• Empower staff to spot and address harassment early
• Teach bystander intervention techniques
• Provide managers with clear response protocols

📌 ICENA TIP: Avoid one-size-fits-all training. Tailor content to reflect the challenges and dynamics of your sector.

 

Sector-Specific Notes

Different sectors have unique risk profiles. Here are some examples:

• Retail & Hospitality: High public interaction, irregular hours, limited managerial presence
• Healthcare & Social Care: Power imbalances, lone working, intense emotional labour
• Tech & Start-Ups: Flat hierarchies masking informal power dynamics, lack of HR infrastructure
• Construction & Trades: Male-dominated cultures, transient teams, off-site work

ICENA can support with tailored training and risk assessments in these environments.

 

Conclusion: Prevention Is Leadership

Sexual harassment prevention isn’t just about legal compliance—it’s about creating an environment where everyone is safe, respected, and empowered.

The Worker Protection Act 2023 sets a new legal baseline. But the real transformation comes when employers go beyond box-ticking and embrace a proactive, values-driven approach.

 

ICENA’s Risk Assessment Template Helps You:

 

✅ Identify the real risks in your environment

✅ Take targeted action with timelines and accountability

✅ Embed respect and dignity in your everyday culture

✅ Monitor and adjust to create lasting safety

 

Next Steps: Make It Real

 

✅ Download the Sexual Harassment Risk Assessment Template

✅ Schedule your first assessment this quarter

✅ Form a cross-functional team including HR, operations, and frontline staff

✅ Share the findings transparently and invite feedback

✅ Set a review date—and stick to it

✅ Book ICENA training that suits your sector and team needs