Zarah ChoudharyEmployer-side helpline calls about sexual harassment rose by 164% in the most recent quarter, exceeding 100 for the first time, according to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted by employment lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.
The rise in calls comes amid a broader surge in workplace sexual harassment cases, as the number of sexual discrimination disputes reported to Acas in 2024 reached 7,245 – an increase of 6.2% compared to the previous year.
The FoI request was submitted to assess the impact of The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, which introduced a new legal duty in October requiring employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.
Acas data revealed that over the past nine months, 16% of all reported sexual discrimination cases – 878 in total – specifically mentioned sexual harassment.
The number of enquiries to the Acas helpline from both employees and businesses regarding workplace sexual harassment has also more than doubled in 2024 compared to the previous year.
In Q3 alone, Acas received 803 calls from employees about sexual harassment, marking a 59% increase from the previous quarter.
The total number of helpline calls from both employees and employers reached 906 in the same period, which was 110% higher than in Q3 2023, equating to an average of 13 calls a day.
The proportion of total helpline calls from employees relating to sexual harassment also rose significantly, increasing from 0.37% in Q3 2023 to 0.62% in Q3 2024.
However, calls from businesses showed an even sharper rise, with 0.65% of total employer-side helpline calls concerning sexual harassment, indicating that employers were more likely than employees to be raising the issue with Acas.
Elaine Huttley, partner and national head of employment law at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Although the figures have increased, they are unlikely to be a true reflection of the extent of the issue of sexual harassment in today’s workplace.
“We know that, historically, sexual harassment is widespread and underreported.
“But the recent change in the law appears to have started to increase awareness and I wouldn’t be surprised to see these figures continue to increase until employers get a grip on the problem.”
She added: “Employees are beginning to understand that sexual harassment doesn’t just occur if they are touched inappropriately and can cover situations where they overhear comments of a sexual nature which, in turn, create a hostile or degrading work environment.
“It’s difficult to know what the nature of the employer-side calls were but from our experience speaking to clients, businesses are taking these new responsibilities seriously and are seeking guidance to ensure compliance.
“Our recommendation is that businesses create a culture where sexual harassment is understood to be unacceptable.”
