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Turning harassment risk assessments into action
Harassment risk assessments: Turn harassment prevention plans into named actions, evidence of completion and practical review.
Anonymised practice examples drawn from cases handled by our team.
Harassment risk assessments: practical approach
The practical response is to separate existing measures from proposed actions and require an evidence reference before treating a control as complete. Each action should have a responsible role, a realistic date and a review point.
What to check and record
Assess the actual working environment rather than relying on one whole-company description. Use likelihood and consequence consistently when assessing risk. Sexual harassment is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature; assessing it does not require an additional link to a protected characteristic.
Learning for managers
The lesson is that a well-developed action list is not the same as a prevention system operating in practice. A control register becomes useful when it shows what is in place, what remains outstanding and how effectiveness will be reviewed. Training attendance and policy publication may contribute evidence, but neither establishes that harassment has stopped.
Manager checklist
- Distinguish existing and proposed controls
- Name responsible roles and deadlines
- Keep evidence of completion
- Review effectiveness in the actual setting
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Further reading
General guidance for Great Britain. Use the relevant policy and advice for a live case.
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