Respequity redefines workplace safety by embedding respect and fairness at every level, preventing sexual harassment in today's hybrid world.

As laws evolve and work boundaries blur, CEOs and HR Directors must act decisively to strengthen their culture.

Our approach drives leadership commitment, fair policies, and empathetic practices—protecting every employee, everywhere.

 

How we work with clients:

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A Vital Risk Assessment for Preventing Sexual Harassment:

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Our first step is to conduct an independent risk analysis to identify potential vulnerabilities within your organisation, ensuring compliance with the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, which comes into effect on October 26, 2024. This process is crucial to mitigate the risks of sexual harassment and to fulfill your legal obligations. If any critical steps are missed, it could be taken into account in a tribunal, leading to significant consequences for the business. Conducting this risk assessment will help safeguard your organisation and workforce against both reputational and legal risks.

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Create a comprehensive Anti-Sexual Harassment Strategy: 

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The original law was designed for a different time, and while new regulations may not fully account for today’s diverse work environments, your organisation must. A strategy is now essential, as it is more incumbent than ever on employers to take tangible, proactive measures.

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Set the tone from the top: Leadership must visibly commit to a zero-tolerance stance on sexual harassment and foster a culture of respect, understanding that people are vulnerable whether they work in the office, hybrid, or remotely.

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Foster a culture of respect: Go beyond policies to ensure all employees feel safe and valued in every setting—office, hybrid, remote, or when engaging with third parties.

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Understand and mitigate the risks: Identify areas where your people may be vulnerable to sexual harassment—in the office, remote, hybrid work settings, and with third-party partners—and take proactive steps to address and prevent it.

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Update your policies: Make sure they reflect new legal requirements and set clear expectations and consequences, covering all work environments.

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Implement robust procedures: Develop clear, up-to-date processes for handling complaints swiftly and fairly, ensuring protection for employees wherever they work.

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Head of Anti-Sexual Harassment: Ensuring Seamless Execution

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Our framework is designed to ensure that the strategy we created is effectively implemented on the ground. As your dedicated external partner, I, Dermot Dennehy, CEO of Respequity, will manage the day-to-day execution of the anti-sexual harassment strategy. While you continue to lead and address the human aspects, I will handle all operational details to ensure the strategy is consistently and efficiently applied. This partnership allows you to focus on high-level leadership, confident that the practical implementation is expertly managed.

 

Audit: Gaining an Up-to-Date Snapshot of Employee Views on Sexual Harassment

To capture a current and accurate understanding of how your employees perceive sexual harassment within your organisation, we will explore the following key areas. These questions are designed to reveal valuable new data and insights:

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• Leadership Commitment:

  • Assess whether leadership visibly demonstrates a commitment to maintaining a respectful, harassment-free environment and how accountability is enforced.

• Inclusivity and Accessibility:

  • Evaluate how inclusivity is fostered and whether reporting channels are accessible, ensuring psychological safety for all employees.

• Training and Awareness:

  • Examine the frequency and effectiveness of training sessions, ensuring they are up-to-date and comprehensive.

• Policy Clarity:

  • Review how clearly policies are communicated and their relevance to various work environments, including office, hybrid, remote, and third-party settings.

• Complaint Management:

  • Investigate how complaints are handled, focusing on empathy, confidentiality, and the fairness of the resolution processes.

• Continuous Improvement:

  • Analyse the systems in place for monitoring incidents, identifying trends, and making continuous improvements to policies and procedures.

We will delve into these sections in detail to uncover actionable insights and improve your organisation's approach to preventing and addressing sexual harassment.

 

Enhancing Sexual Harassment Training to Meet New Compliance Standards

Creating a safe and inclusive work environment is essential, and a robust sexual harassment training program is a key component of compliance with the new law. This training goes beyond mere compliance; it actively builds a culture of respect and dignity for all employees, regardless of their role or location. 

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• Integrate Training into Company Policies:
  Clearly define sexual harassment training as a core requirement in your anti-harassment policy, setting a firm expectation from the start.

• Make Training Accessible for All:
  Provide live, online training sessions to ensure all employees, including those in hybrid or remote roles, can participate.

• Monitor Completion and Compliance:
  Use a tracking system to monitor who completes the training and send reminders to maintain full participation.

• Schedule Regular Training Sessions:
  Make training mandatory during onboarding and provide refresher sessions every 1-2 years to reinforce key concepts.

• Tailor Training to Diverse Needs:
  Customise the content to address the specific challenges faced by remote, hybrid, and on-site employees, making it relevant for everyone.

• Keep Content Current and Relevant:
  Regularly update training materials to align with the latest legal standards and best practices, using scenarios that cover both physical and virtual environments.

• Empower Bystanders:
  Include training on bystander intervention to encourage employees to recognise and safely respond to harassment.

• Measure Training Effectiveness: Regularly gather employee feedback, analyse reporting trends, and refine training content to ensure it resonates with all employees and effectively addresses the unique needs of a hybrid work environment.

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Post-Training Action Plans: Ensuring Consistent Delivery Across the Organisation

To ensure insights from our sexual harassment training are effectively applied, we provide managers with action plans that reinforce key concepts and maintain consistency across all teams. These plans include training materials and notes as reference points for managers while they execute tasks aligned with both individual and team objectives, fostering a cohesive approach to a safe work environment in all settings—office, hybrid, or remote. All actions are completed within a set timeframe to ensure timely and consistent implementation.

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Key Components of the Action Plan:

• Integrate Training into Daily Practices:
  Managers receive tools to clearly define sexual harassment training as an essential part of the organisation's policies, reinforcing its importance through regular team communications.

• Promote Accessible Learning:
  Action plans include guidelines for facilitating live, online training sessions and ensuring all employees, regardless of their location, have equal access to training resources.

• Monitor and Encourage Compliance:
  Utilise tracking tools provided in the action plan to monitor completion rates, send follow-up reminders, and ensure all team members actively participate in mandatory training sessions.

• Schedule Follow-Up Sessions and Refreshers:
  Action plans outline steps for scheduling ongoing training, including onboarding for new hires and periodic refresher courses to reinforce learning.

• Customise and Tailor Training for Relevance:
  Managers are guided on how to adapt training materials to address the specific challenges faced by different groups—remote, hybrid, and on-site—ensuring the training is relevant and impactful for everyone.

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Re-audit: Measuring Progress Through Continuous Evaluation

Following the implementation of action plans, we conduct a re-audit to compare current practices against the initial audit results. This process helps us gauge the progress made, identify any remaining gaps, and ensure that the changes have effectively improved the work environment. By regularly reassessing and fine-tuning our approach, we maintain a proactive stance on fostering a safe and respectful workplace.