Measure 4.1 Anonymous experience rate of sexual harassment (critical)
| What does this measure show? | This measure uses employee experience data to see if women, men and people of self-described gender experience sexual harassment at different rates in the workplace. |
|---|---|
| How is it calculated? |
|
| Why is this important? | Anonymous reporting helps uncover the true scale of sexual harassment, because many people hesitate to report through formal channels. This may be due to fear of retaliation, stigma, or lack of trust in the process. This measure gives you a clearer picture of what’s really happening in your workplace across different gender groups. If people of any gender report sexual harassment, and particularly if this is higher for a particular gender, it signals deeper issues in workplace culture and safety. Use these insights to:
|
| Additional questions | Use these prompts to consider this measure alongside other relevant data. Look at the response rate for your employee experience survey. Compare the anonymous survey data on sexual harassment with your formal reports from workforce data. Is there a gap between how many employees report experiencing sexual harassment in the survey and how many formally report it? A lower number of formal reports may suggest that employees don’t know how to report or don’t feel safe doing so. Are there gender differences in who does or doesn’t make a formal report, when compared to the survey data? Review other parts of your employee experience data related to sexual harassment. For some organisations, data may be suppressed to protect respondent privacy. Where possible, break the data down by gender. Look for gendered patterns in:
Also review your workforce data on employee exits: Are more people leaving from certain levels or job types? Could sexual harassment be a contributing factor in these exits? If you have the data, look at how gender intersects with other factors, like cultural identity or disability status. Do you see different trends for groups facing intersecting inequalities? |
| Other measures to consider | Consider this measure alongside:
|
Measure 4.2 Number of formal reports of sexual harassment (critical)
| What does this measure show? | This measure uses workforce data to show how many formal reports of sexual harassment were made during the reporting period. |
|---|---|
| How is it calculated? |
|
| Why is this important? | Tracking formal sexual harassment reports, along with anonymous reports from Measure 4.1, gives a more accurate picture of what’s happening in your workplace. A low number of formal reports doesn’t mean the problem doesn’t exist. Instead, it may mean people don’t feel safe or supported enough to speak up. If there is a large gap between the number of people who say they’ve experienced harassment (Measure 4.1) and those who formally report it (Measure 4.2), it may be a sign employees don’t want to use formal reports. This could signal fear of retaliation, lack of trust in the process, or cultural norms that discourage people from speaking up or ‘making a fuss’. And remember: a short-term increase in formal reports after rolling out new training, policies, or communications is not necessarily a worsening problem. It can be a sign of progress. Employees might have more trust in the system and greater awareness of what constitutes unacceptable behaviour. |
| Additional questions | Use these prompts to consider this measure alongside other relevant data. See measure 4.1 for advice that also applies to this measure. |
| Other measures to consider | Consider this measure alongside:
|
Measure 4.3 Survey respondents who said they reported sexual harassment (supplementary)
| What does this measure show? | This measure uses employee experience data to see if people who experienced sexual harassment submitted a formal complaint. |
|---|---|
| How is it calculated? |
|
| Why is this important? | This measure shows what happens after a sexual harassment incident. It tells you if people feel safe and supported enough to submit a formal complaint. If there is a gap between participants who said they reported sexual harassment and the number of formal reports in your workforce data (Measure 4.2), this highlights issues with your reporting mechanisms. This is because you are not capturing all the ways in which complaints are being reported and who they are being reported to. This gap also means you do not have an understanding of how complaints of sexual harassment are being addressed. For example, whether staff receiving reports of sexual harassment:
You need to capture all the ways people report sexual harassment in your organisation. You also need to know all the people it is being reported to. This will help you to improve quality control and consistency in recording incidents. If you are not currently doing this, you should include strategies in your new GEAP. These strategies should address gaps in your data collection capability. Improving data collection will help you undertake more nuanced analysis in the future. It may also help you to demonstrate reasonable and material progress on this indicator. This is a requirement of the Gender Equality Act 2020. |
| Additional questions | Use these prompts to consider this measure alongside other relevant data. Compare the proportion of survey respondents who said they made a formal complaint with the number of formal complaints recorded by your organisation (measure 4.2). Is there a difference between these two numbers? If the survey shows more people reported harassment than are formally recorded, investigate where those reports are going. Consider:
Centralising your reporting process helps you:
If you have the data, look at how gender intersects with other factors, like cultural identity or disability status. Do you see different trends for groups facing intersecting inequalities? See measure 4.1 for further advice that also applies to this measure. |
| Other measures to consider | Consider this measure alongside:
|
Measure 4.4 Reasons for not making a formal sexual harassment complaint (supplementary)
| What does this measure show? | This measure uses employee experience data to identify employee reasons for not submitting a formal complaint when they experience sexual harassment. |
|---|---|
| How is it calculated? |
|
| Why is this important? | Knowing how many employees do not formally report sexual harassment is just as important as knowing how many do. If people of certain genders are more likely to stay silent, it may point to deeper issues. These could include fear of retaliation, stigma, lack of trust in the process, or a belief that nothing will change. These are cultural warning signs that need attention. If some groups don’t submit a complaint because they don’t know how or who to talk to, you may need to improve awareness of your complaints system. By better understanding the reasons for not submitting a complaint, you can focus on creating an environment where people of all genders feel safe. Encouraging reporting, and making sure people feel protected and supported when they do report, is essential to creating a workplace free from harassment. |
| Additional questions | Use these prompts to consider this measure alongside other relevant data. Look at complainant satisfaction using both your employee experience data (measure 4.5) and your workforce data (measure 4.6). Are people who make a formal sexual harassment complaint satisfied with the process? If not, this could be discouraging others from making a formal report. If you have the data, look at how gender intersects with other factors, like cultural identity or disability status. Do you see different trends for groups facing intersecting inequalities? You may also want to review this measure alongside other sexual harassment data for a more complete picture. Most importantly, use this measure to shape your strategies in GEAP. For example:
Make sure you communicate these changes clearly to all staff. |
| Other measures to consider | Consider this measure alongside:
|
Measure 4.5 Satisfaction with handling of workplace sexual harassment complaint (supplementary)
| What does this measure show? | This measure uses employee experience data to see if people of different genders feel equally satisfied with how a formal sexual harassment complaint was handled. |
|---|---|
| How is it calculated? |
|
| Why is this important? | When someone experiences sexual harassment and makes a formal complaint, how the organisation responds matters deeply. Negative experiences can be harmful for victims and respondents. They can also discourage others from coming forward. This can create a culture of silence, where harmful behaviours are not addressed. If employees are not satisfied with how their complaint is handled, it helps reveal gaps in your systems. It also shows where trust needs rebuilding. Look for gendered patterns in the levels of satisfaction. This helps you understand and respond effectively. When people feel heard, supported, and safe, it improves your workplace culture. It sends a clear message that harassment is taken seriously. Check if there is a gap between satisfaction levels reported in your People Matter survey and satisfaction levels reported in workforce data (Measure 4.6). This may indicate lack of consistency in how managers respond to complaints of sexual harassment and how HR handle more serious complaints procedures. |
| Additional questions | Use these prompts to consider this measure alongside other relevant data. Compare complainant satisfaction in your employee experience data with the results in your workforce data (measure 4.6). Where possible, break down both sets of data by gender. Do both measures tell the same story, or are there differences between them? Are satisfaction rates different for different genders? If you have the data, look at how gender intersects with other factors, like cultural identity or disability status. Do you see different trends for groups facing intersecting inequalities? Look at other parts of your employee experience data that relate to sexual harassment. Keep in mind that for some organisations, survey responses may be suppressed to protect privacy. Where possible, break down the data by gender to better understand different experiences. Use what you learn to shape strategies in your GEAP that will improve how your organisation handles reports of sexual harassment. Make sure your reporting processes are:
These steps can help build trust and encourage people to report when they experience or witness inappropriate behaviour. |
| Other measures to consider | Consider this measure alongside:
|
Measure 4.6 Satisfaction with handling of formal workplace sexual harassment complaint (supplementary)
| What does this measure show? | This measure uses workforce data to see if people of different genders feel equally satisfied with how a formal sexual harassment complaint was handled. |
|---|---|
| How is it calculated? |
|
| Why is this important? | This measure shows how well your formal complaints process works for those who use it. When employees who make a formal complaint are satisfied with how it’s handled, it suggests that the process meets their expectations. Low satisfaction suggests a lack of trust in how complaints are managed and how well the system protects those who come forward. If a particular gender is dissatisfied, it could indicate a lack of safety for that group. A workplace culture where people trust the complaints process is essential to foster safety and inclusion at work. Track this measure alongside satisfaction levels reported in employee experience data (Measure 4.5). This may show differences in how HR manage formal complaints and how managers respond to complaints of sexual harassment. |
| Additional questions | This measure is best understood as part of a broader analysis. See measure 4.5 for advice that also applies to this measure. |
| Other measures to consider | Consider this measure alongside:
|
Updated