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Sexual harassment is a problem that affects millions of workers each year in the UK. It is estimated that 40% of women and 18% of men have experienced some form of unwanted sexual behaviour in the workplace, with studies consistently revealing high prevalence levels. It impacts both people and businesses, with significant consequences for employee wellbeing, organisational culture and business performance.

Bullying and harassment remain significant challenges across education and workplace environments, yet reporting levels continue to fall far below actual prevalence. In many cases, people do not stay silent because reporting routes are unavailable, but because they are unsure whether they will be believed, supported, or safe after speaking up.

A practical breakdown of what the Worker Protection Act asks of employers, and how Culture Shift’s platform and Community of Practice support each step.

In a bid to tackle bullying and sexual harassment in the financial industry, the FCA announced in July 2025 that new reporting requirements will be coming into force to tackle instances of non-financial misconduct.

One year on from the Worker Protection Act coming into force, we look at how employers are responding to the new duty and where compliance still falls short.

MasterChef TV presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode are the latest celebrities to be involved in high-profile sexual harassment and harassment cases at the BBC, revealing deep cultural failings and systemic issues, not just within the BBC but industry wide.

Most organisations don’t have a reporting problem, they have a visibility problem. It’s an uncomfortable distinction, because it challenges a deeply held assumption: that if something serious is happening, it will eventually be reported. That formal systems, policies, and escalation routes will surface issues before they become systemic.

Significant numbers of students are still experiencing harassment and sexual misconduct every year throughout their time at university. A 2022 study in the UK found that 20% of respondents experienced at least one act of attempted or forced sexual touching or rape, whilst 52% experienced at least one act of sexual harassment such as sexist remarks or jokes.

Freedom to Speak Up Guardians (FTSU) play a vital role in supporting the NHS by creating a culture of openness, safety, and continuous improvement. We understand that their primary responsibility is to ensure that hundreds of NHS staff in their Trust feel confident, safe, and supported when raising concerns about anything that could negatively affect patient care, staff wellbeing or organisational integrity.

The NHS People Plan places compassionate and inclusive cultures at the heart of the NHS, yet unacceptable levels of bullying and harassment still widely exists across the NHS, described by the BMA as a ‘corrosive culture’.

A look at how the RUH is putting staff wellbeing, sexual safety and inclusion at the centre of its patient and people strategy.

Workplace bullying and harassment is a major problem for employers and affects more than 9 million workers in the UK – that’s more than the population of Wales and Scotland combined. Collectively it costs UK businesses £18 billion per year and according to TUC, it’s the second biggest workplace issue after stress. Acas receives over 20,000 phone calls each year in relation to bullying, signalling it’s a widespread issue that is not being dealt with effectively.

Establishing a speak up culture isn’t just a nice to have for organisations, it’s an essential part of your people and wider business strategy. The research is clear, organisations with a healthy workplace culture are 21% more profitable than those without* and positive culture is linked to increased levels of productivity, high employee retention and advocacy rates and a better reputation.

The problem is not that organisations don’t invest in culture, it’s that they misunderstand how it changes. Culture transformation has become a familiar ambition inside most organisations - it shows up in strategy decks, leadership offsites, and company-wide communications.

Most organisations say they want a speak up culture, few actually have one. Not because employees are unwilling to speak up, or because they don’t understand how. In most cases, people are perfectly capable of raising concerns.

Most organisations believe they have a reasonably clear view of what is happening in their workplace. They have reporting systems. They have HR data. They have engagement surveys, exit interviews, case management records.

Most organisations believe they have misconduct under control because they have processes for it - policies exist, reporting routes are defined, HR teams are trained, and investigation procedures are documented. On paper, the system looks complete, but misconduct - whether it is harassment, bullying, discrimination, or other inappropriate behaviour - persists.

If asked to consider who is most likely to champion business culture and fly the flag for cultural change in an organisation, Chief Financial Officers are not necessarily the first people that would come to mind.

With the new OfS E6 regulation now in force, here are eight reasons higher education providers are choosing Culture Shift to meet the new student protection duties.

When it comes to investing in business culture, one of the most common rebuttals we come across from business leaders is the belief that there is no unwanted behaviour happening in their organisation. In their eyes, they don’t need to make improvements to their workplace culture or have any need for an anonymous reporting platform because they aren’t aware of its existence.

Investing in an anonymous reporting platform for employees is a step towards creating an open and ethical work environment. With regulatory and employee expectations on the rise, an anonymous reporting tool is an essential investment for modern HR leaders.

Choosing the right employee misconduct anonymous reporting platform software is vital to help you improve reporting rates, understand what is truly happening in your business, giving your employees a safe and secure way to report misconduct in the workplace and building a speak up culture.

Whistleblowing can feel like a taboo word. A serious, scary consequence of systemic failures. A media headline. Risk, reputation, regulatory exposure. Employees are told how they can blow the whistle if they need to, while organisations hope the need never arises. But whistleblowing itself is not the problem to be managed.

Data-driven decision making has become a non-negotiable for organisations because it allows CEOs, C-Suite and managers to monitor, track and improve their KPIs based on real information rather than relying on guess work.