Am I the victim of sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment can happen to any person (regardless of gender identity) and the conduct can be carried out by any person (again, regardless of gender identity).

Sexual Harassment can be displayed in many different forms including, but not limited to: -

• Flirting or making sexual remarks about a person’s body and, or appearance of clothing
• Making sexual comments
• Intentionally touching someone sexually against their will
• Asking questions about a person’s sex life

The conduct can be a single one-off incident or a continuing pattern of behaviour. It can be physical or even via digital platforms.

Any person who is subjected to sexual harassment should make a note of the conduct including time, date, location, witnesses, and evidence i.e. text messages.

Unfortunately, most incidents of sexual harassment go unreported usually through fear of being ignored, doubted, and possibly even dismissed. 

We understand that it is very difficult to report incidents of sexual harassment, particularly in small, often family-run businesses. It takes a lot of courage to report incidents of sexual harassment however, this is a step we highly encourage. An employer should take all reports of sexual harassment seriously, and an investigation should begin.

Bringing a Claim

Any person who has been sexually harassed whilst at work may bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal against both their employer and the individual harasser. In some circumstances we may be able to assist with your claim on a no win no fee basis.

For a guide to what compensation you could be entitled to use our sexual harassment calculator.

A sexual harassment claim must normally be submitted to ACAS within three months of the last act of harassment. A claim in the employment tribunal can be lodged while your employment continues.

How can we help

Our team is always happy to talk through your circumstances and discuss your options.

We can discuss the different ways in which you can report the incident to your employer whilst offering support during that process. We can also explore the different outcomes such as lodging a claim with the employment tribunal or negotiating a settlement agreement.

Our success stories

We have recently acted on a ‘no win no fee’ basis on behalf of our client who had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. A very senior member of staff had engaged in a continuing pattern of sending inappropriate messages to our client via social media. The evidence proved sexual harassment and we successfully negotiated a settlement in excess of £10,000.