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Sexual Safety in the Workplace: Building a Foundation of Safety

Sexual Safety in the Workplace: Building a Foundation of Safety

Workplaces in the healthcare sector are meant to be places of healing and care, and should be a safe haven for everyone. However, the reality is that sexual harassment and abuse persist across all industries and must be tackled head on with quality training and robust policies, as Dr Kate Bunyan, Medical Director for Miad Healthcare explains.

Sexual safety isn’t just the absence of overt harassment. It’s about fostering a culture of respect and professionalism, creating a workplace where people don’t experience unwelcome sexual advances, sexualised conversations or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

High-profile campaigns in recent years, including #MeToo, #TimesUp, #ReclaimTheseStreets and #ThisIsNotWorking, have brought widespread attention to the pervasive issue of sexual harassment. These movements have ignited a crucial conversation and spurred a demand for change, and for sexual safety at work. However, with sexual harassment in healthcare still frequently hitting the headlines, it is clear there is a long way to go before employees feel safe at work.

In response, many organisations, including the NHS, are taking significant steps to effect vital change. NHS England’s Sexual Safety Charter Assurance Framework helps employers and employees to recognise, report and prevent sexual misconduct in the workplace. The charter outlines clear pledges to:

  • Actively work to eradicate sexual harassment and abuse
  • Promote a culture of openness and transparency
  • Take an intersectional approach, recognising that certain groups are disproportionately affected
  • Provide appropriate support for those who experience harassment
  • Clearly communicate standards of behaviour
  • Ensure clear policies, training, and reporting mechanisms are in place
  • Take all reports seriously and act promptly
  • Capture and share data transparently

Good Medical Practice

The General Medical Council’s ‘Good Medical Practice’ (GMP) sets out the principles, values, and standards of professional behaviour expected of medical professionals. One of the key changes in the 2024 edition of GMP was the inclusion of a specific section on sexual harassment.

GMP applies to all doctors in all roles.  While some doctors have leadership responsibilities, such as appraisers, and are key to creating a supportive culture within organisations, changing the culture of an organisation involves everyone in every role.

Lasting change

Employers must establish and communicate a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment, ensuring that all employees understand the standards of behaviour expected and the consequences of any violations. For this to work effectively, all employees must be trained in identifying inappropriate behaviour and how to go about reporting it.  But all employees also need the opportunity to understand how their own behaviour might be perceived through the lens of creating sexual safety in the organisation, what they may need to change, and why. One off training as part of an induction process does not go far enough, instead training must be conducted regularly to ensure knowledge remains up to date and front of mind for all employees.  This training may need to be tailored to the context of the organisation, or groups within it.

All employees must be clear on what constitutes harassment, its impact and the importance of a respectful workplace. This will help to cultivate an environment where employees feel safe to report incidents without fear of retaliation. This requires building trust and ensuring that reporting mechanisms are accessible and confidential. Employees making reports must also be confident that they will be fully supported throughout the process.

Effective training should focus on:

  • Raising awareness of sexual harassment, emphasising that it affects all genders and highlighting the additional challenges of intersectionality
  • Educating employees on their responsibility as upstanders
  • Providing clear guidance on how to come forward and report incidents
  • Adopting a trauma-informed approach, prioritising safety, trust, choice, collaboration, employment and cultural considerations

The Worker Protection Act 2023

Reinforcing organisational efforts, the Worker Protection Act 2023 introduced a significant legal development. A preventative measure, the Act places a duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. This Act, which came into force on October 26, 2024, also empowers employment tribunals to uplift sexual harassment compensation by up to 25% if this duty is breached.

Working towards a Safer Culture

Creating a safe healthcare workplace requires a collective effort. By defining sexual safety, recognising and addressing inappropriate behaviour, implementing robust policies, and providing comprehensive training, we can build a culture where everyone feels respected, valued, and protected.  In this culture colleagues thrive and patient outcomes improve.

At Miad Healthcare, we run a three-hour ‘Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Safety’ course – available as a webinar or in-person workshop. The course covers the work of the National Sexual Safety Collaborative (SSC) and the practical steps leaders within healthcare can take to lay the foundations for good practice and to build the capability to improve sexual safety. In a safe environment, participants are provided with strategies and resources to support them and their team, and are taught how they can contribute to the prevention and intervention of such events. We are also able to adapt this package for the specific needs of an organisation, working with your areas of concern and demonstrating the work you are doing in this area through reference to your own policies, delivering maximum impact.