Workplace Sexual Harassment Awareness & Prevention

Introduction

Sexual harassment in the workplace remains one of the most underreported yet most damaging violations of trust, dignity, and safety. Recent updates to South Africa’s Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace (2022) have placed clearer legal obligations on employers, and failure to comply exposes organisations to lawsuits, CCMA referrals, and brand damage. This Sexual Harassment Awareness & Prevention Training equips both staff and managers with clear definitions, legal obligations, real-world examples, and practical response tools. It promotes psychological safety, stronger workplace ethics, and proactive prevention.

Overview

This interactive training is tailored for South African workplaces, addressing diverse workplace realities (gender, culture, power imbalances, and remote work risks). It demystifies the legal definitions and equips employees at all levels with the skills to recognise, report, and respond to harassment confidently and lawfully. For managers, the course focuses on how to handle complaints legally, sensitively, and decisively.

Audience

This course is ideal for:

All general staff (awareness training)
Team leaders, supervisors, and senior managers
HR and disciplinary panel members
Health and safety reps and union stewards
Public and private sector organisations
NGOs, schools, clinics, and government entities

Course Content

Module 1: Understanding Sexual Harassment

What is sexual harassment? Legal and practical definitions
Forms: verbal, visual, physical, digital, subtle/coercive
Power dynamics and abuse of authority
“Welcome” vs “unwelcome”, how to interpret behaviour
Real-life SA case examples and CCMA precedents

Module 2: Legal Framework and Employer Duties

Code of Good Practice on Harassment (2022)
Responsibilities of employers and managers
POPIA and harassment: handling sensitive reports
What makes a harassment policy legally compliant
Consequences of failing to act (legal, financial, reputational)

Module 3: Reporting and Receiving Complaints

How and where to report harassment
Role of the HR or designated officer
Confidentiality, retaliation, and victim protection
Receiving a complaint: dos and don’ts
Investigating without bias or intimidation

Module 4: Preventing Harassment in Everyday Work Culture

Creating boundaries: what’s appropriate and what’s not
Respectful communication and inclusive language
Grey zones: humour, flirtation, and intent vs impact
Preventing power abuse in remote or hybrid work
Leading with respect, the role of senior staff

Module 5: Manager-Specific Legal Training

Duty of care and procedural fairness
Responding to complaints without delay
Drafting a complaint record (legally valid)
Coordinating with legal, HR, and external investigators
Sanctioning offenders: verbal, written, dismissal

Module 6: Bystander Intervention and Support

The cost of silence, why bystanders matter
Safe ways to intervene, disrupt, or redirect
Supporting a colleague after an incident
Emotional trauma, referrals, and EAP resources

Module 7: Embedding a Culture of Respect

Harassment-free policy rollout and on boarding
Campaigns, champions, and internal messaging
Encouraging psychological safety across teams
Developing safer feedback and complaint systems

Conclusion:

Workplace Sexual Harassment Awareness & Prevention Training goes beyond awareness, it builds an organisational culture that actively protects dignity, ensures legal compliance, and empowers everyone to speak up. By ensuring that every staff member understands the law, their rights, and their responsibilities, you reduce your organisation’s risk and strengthen the trust that underpins long-term performance and retention. Creating a safe and respectful workplace is not optional, it is the law, and it is the right thing to do.

MDI SA