A year after new workplace protections became law, fresh research suggests that many people in Scotland still do not feel fully safe or supported at work.
An online study carried out by High Speed Training has found that around one in five UK adults in Scotland are concerned about sexual harassment in the workplace.
The survey also shows that about one in twelve people, or eight per cent, say they have witnessed behaviour in the last year that they would consider to be sexual harassment.
The findings arrive twelve months after the Worker Protection Act came into force, creating a legal duty for employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment and shifting responsibility firmly onto organisations rather than individuals.
The legislation was intended to strengthen rights, improve protections and ensure workers could report concerns with confidence, but the research suggests many employees remain unsure about how effectively these commitments are being delivered.
Only sixty one per cent of workers in Scotland say they believe their employer has taken those reasonable steps.
Only sixty five per cent feel confident that their workplace would handle a report of sexual harassment properly.
Dr Richard Anderson, Head of Learning and Development at High Speed Training, explains that sexual harassment covers a wide range of behaviour.
He said:
“The term sexual harassment refers to any sort of unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that has this effect.
“Anybody who experiences unwanted sexual behaviour, whether this be verbal, physical or digital, is a victim of sexual harassment.”
Examples provided in the research include sexual jokes or comments, inappropriate messages, unwanted physical contact, propositions, invasive questions and online posts that target or embarrass someone based on their appearance.
The study also highlights a striking generational divide.
Workers aged eighteen to twenty four across the UK were more than three times as likely to say they had witnessed behaviour they would classify as sexual harassment compared with workers aged forty five and above, at twenty four per cent versus seven per cent.
Researchers say this could reflect several factors, including younger staff being more aware of what constitutes inappropriate behaviour in a post Me Too era, as well as the possibility that more junior workers may be more exposed to risk or feel less able to challenge behaviour from older colleagues.
Dr Anderson says the findings underline the scale of the problem and the importance of continued action.
He said:
“A year on from the introduction of the new Worker Protection Act, our research has shown that there is still lots of work to be done.
“If we expand our findings to the whole of the UK workforce, which the ONS estimated to be 36.9 million people in December 2024, these findings would suggest that nearly 3 million people have witnessed sexual harassment in the workplace in the last 12 months, underlining the need for the new legislation, and showing just how much work employers need to do to ensure that everyone feels safe and supported at work.
“A strong workplace culture, one that promotes transparency, trust and inclusivity, is built by visible and consistent action and investment.
“For organisations looking to demonstrate their commitment, comprehensive sexual harassment training is a great place to start.”
High Speed Training says demand for training has surged since the legislation came into force, with a fifteen hundred per cent rise in uptake for employee courses and a two thousand two hundred and thirty four per cent increase in courses tailored for managers.
The company argues that visible leadership, clear reporting routes and a culture of openness are essential if workplaces across Scotland are to make meaningful progress.
