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Bullying & Harassment Support for Employers
Prevent bullying and harassment, meet your legal duties and handle complaints fairly and sensitively, with expert HR support at every step.
Bullying and harassment support
Create a Workplace Where People Feel Safe
Bullying and harassment damage people, teams and businesses. They lead to stress, absence, resignations and some of the most costly employment claims, with no cap on compensation for harassment.
Clearpath UK helps you prevent problems before they start and respond properly when they do. We write clear policies, train your managers, carry out risk assessments and handle complaints fairly, sensitively and in line with the law.
Know the difference
Bullying or Harassment?
The two are often used together, but they’re treated differently in law. Knowing which applies shapes how you respond.
Bullying
Offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, or an abuse of power, that makes someone feel undermined or humiliated.
WHAT TO KNOW
Harassment
Unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic, such as sex, race or disability, that violates someone’s dignity or creates a hostile environment.
WHAT TO KNOW
Spotting the signs
Is It Bullying or Harassment?
Some behaviour is obvious. Much of it isn’t. These examples help managers recognise problems early, before they escalate.
Examples of harassment
Examples of bullying
It’s the effect that matters. Behaviour can still be harassment even if it was “only a joke” or wasn’t meant to cause offence, and messages sent outside work, such as in staff group chats, can still count.
How we support you
How We Come In and Support You
Choose how involved we are, from reviewing your policies to handling a complaint from start to finish.
We advise
You handle it, we’re in your corner
Expert guidance by phone and email when an issue comes up.
- Policy review
- Template letters and scripts
- Advice whenever questions come up
We guide
We work alongside your team
An HR adviser helps you prevent problems and respond to complaints.
- Everything in We advise
- Risk assessment support
- Manager training
We handle it for you
Hands-on, start to finish
We handle complaints for you, including independent investigations, on site or remotely.
- Everything in We guide
- Independent investigations
- Support through any disciplinary
Step by step
Prevent, Respond and Resolve
Meeting your legal duties means acting before a complaint, when one is raised and afterwards.
Before any complaint
When a complaint is raised
Afterwards
Avoid costly mistakes
Common Bullying and Harassment Pitfalls
Harassment claims are among the most expensive an employer can face. These are the mistakes we see most.
From October 2026, you can be liable if your staff are harassed by customers, clients or other third parties, unless you’ve taken all reasonable steps to prevent it.
No clear policy
Without a policy and reporting routes, staff don’t know what’s acceptable or how to raise concerns.
No training
Policies only work if managers and staff understand them and know how to act.
Dismissing it as banter
Treating complaints as a joke or “just banter” is a common route to a successful claim.
A slow response
Delays leave the person who complained exposed and make things worse.
Moving the wrong person
Moving the person who complained, rather than dealing with the alleged harasser, can be seen as victimisation.
Retaliation
Treating someone badly because they complained is victimisation and is unlawful in its own right.
Looking after people
Supporting the Person Affected
How you treat the person who raised a concern matters as much as the investigation. Getting this right protects them, and your business.
Meeting the new duty
What “All Reasonable Steps” Could Include
There’s no single checklist, but these steps show you’re taking the duty to prevent sexual harassment seriously.
A harassment risk assessment
Identify where and how harassment could happen, including from customers or clients, and act on the risks you find.
A clear policy
Set out what harassment is, how to report it and how complaints will be handled.
Regular training
Train managers and staff so everyone knows what’s expected and how to respond.
Easy ways to report
Give people several ways to raise concerns, including someone other than their line manager.
Action on every complaint
Investigate properly, act on the outcome and learn from each case.
Example case
Harassment in a Staff WhatsApp Group, Investigated
Messages shared in a staff WhatsApp group were causing serious problems between colleagues. Our client needed to understand what had happened and deal with it fairly.
Concerns were raised that messages posted in a group WhatsApp chat amounted to harassment, and they were damaging working relationships across the team.
We carried out an investigation, reviewing the messages and speaking to the people involved to establish exactly what had happened.
The investigation gave our client clear, well-evidenced findings to act on, so the issue could be dealt with fairly and working relationships addressed.
What we deliver
Your Harassment Prevention Toolkit
Whichever level of support you choose, we can prepare every document you need, tailored to your business and ready to use.
Preventative · Compliant · Ready to useHave You Taken All Reasonable Steps?
Not sure your business is ready? We’ll review your policy, training and harassment risk assessment and tell you exactly what needs to change before the new duty applies.
- Policy review
- Risk assessment
- Manager and staff training
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Let’s Get Started: Contact Clearpath UK Today
Ready to create a positive, high-performance work environment? Contact our expert team to discuss how we can help.
Book your free consultation today — we’re excited to help your business thrive.
Get in touch
Speak to an Adviser
Whether it’s HR, employment law or health & safety, tell us what you need and one of our advisers will get back to you, usually within one working day.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between bullying and harassment?
Harassment is unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic, such as sex, race or disability, and is unlawful under the Equality Act. Bullying isn’t defined in law on its own, but it can still lead to grievances, resignations and claims.
What is the duty to prevent sexual harassment?
Since October 2024, employers must take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers. From October 2026, this becomes a duty to take all reasonable steps, including preventing harassment by third parties.
Are we responsible for harassment by customers?
From October 2026, you can be liable for harassment of your staff by third parties, such as customers or clients, unless you’ve taken all reasonable steps to prevent it.
What should we do when someone complains?
Take it seriously, support the person who raised it, consider any interim measures and investigate promptly and impartially.
Can you train our managers and staff?
Yes. We deliver practical training for managers and staff on preventing and responding to bullying and harassment.