This year, Digby Associates undertook training with SARSAS in Understanding Sexual Harassment at Work, as part of our continued efforts to create a safe workplace where our staff can thrive.
Why the training is a financial investment
A recent survey conducted by Unite1 found that 56% of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment at work and they labelled sexual harassment as endemic across all sectors.
The Worker Protection Act 2023, which came into effect in October 2024, states that employers must take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, one reasonable step being workplace training.
In 2021 the government estimated that the average case of a pre-court settlement or tribunal compensation for sexual harassment ranged between £10,000 to £45,0002. Now, under the Worker Protection Act, an employment tribunal has the power to increase compensation by up to 25% if it finds that an employer has breached their duty to prevent sexual harassment.
The potential legal costs and reputational damage, alongside the impact that an unhealthy workplace culture can have on worker morale, innovation, output and staff turnover rates all demonstrate the urgent moral and financial need to invest in training to create safe workplaces.
Why we chose SARSAS to deliver our training
SARSAS is a local rape crisis centre and Bristol based charity, founded in 2008, that provides trauma-informed support to thousands of survivors of rape and sexual abuse every year.
SARSAS also strives for a world without sexual violence, which is why they offer training in a variety of topics, and we felt that their expert knowledge and trauma-informed approach to the training was the right fit for helping us to approach this sensitive but important issue.
You can find out more about SARSAS here www.sarsas.org.uk
The impact of the training
The training was very engaging and was tailored to us in the financial sector, giving our team the tools to recognise sexual harassment and feel confident to speak up about it. It encouraged the team to reflect on how we can all respect boundaries and approach our work and interactions with colleagues and clients in this respectful and conscientious way.
We feel that having undertaken this training sets us apart from other advisers, not only by creating a workplace where our staff can thrive and give our clients the best service, but also to give pertinent financial advice to our business clients, enabling them to create resilient workplaces and avoid costly legal expenditures.
(+ anything additional Digby Associates want to add about impact since the session)
1 Unite’s Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment Survey 2025 Sexual harassment endemic in UK workplaces, landmark Unite survey finds
2 The Business Cost of Workplace Sexual Harassment & Workplace harassment impact assessment: final stage, October 2021 – part 2 of 2 (evidence base) – GOV.UK