Workplace harassment training equips your managers and teams to recognise, prevent and resolve harassment in line with South Africa’s Employment Equity harassment Code. This BOTI one-day course covers harassment law and policy, investigation and mediation procedures, false-allegation handling, and sexual harassment — delivered in-house or on-site in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and remotely.

If you are an HR/L&D lead, business owner or operations manager responsible for a respectful, legally compliant workplace, this practical workshop gives your people the skills and procedures to act with confidence — and gives your organisation a documented compliance trail.

Request a quote or a 15-minute callback — or call 011-882-8853.

Course Overview

The training addresses the full spectrum of workplace harassment — not only sexual harassment — and shows victims their options for recourse, both internally and through criminal and statutory channels. It emphasises building safe working environments through clear anti-harassment policies, awareness training, and fair, consistent procedures.

Throughout the day, real case studies bring each module to life, and the course explains manager responsibilities, employee rights, CCMA (Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration) procedures, confidentiality, and the prevention of retaliation. Participants leave able to spot early warning signs, respond to a complaint correctly from the first conversation, and keep the kind of records that stand up to scrutiny if a matter is ever escalated to the CCMA, a bargaining council or the Labour Court.

Because the workshop is delivered for your team in your own context, the facilitator can work through your existing policy and reporting channels, adapt examples to your industry, and answer the questions your managers actually face on the floor — from how to handle a complaint about a senior leader, to what to do when the alleged conduct happened off-site or online.

Course Outline

The workshop covers, in sequence:

1. Introduction and workshop objectives
2. Background, the law, and identifying applicable policy
3. Developing an anti-harassment policy
4. Implementing the workplace policy
5. Proper procedures for handling harassment situations
6. Managing false allegations
7. Alternative resolution options (unions, mediation)
8. Sexual harassment specifics
9. Mediation techniques
10. Aftermath management, monitoring and review

Course Details at a Glance

Workplace Harassment & Conduct Training Under the New EE Code

South Africa’s Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace, issued under the Employment Equity Act (EEA) and effective 18 March 2022, replaced the older sexual-harassment code and significantly widened employer obligations. This BOTI course is built to help your organisation meet those obligations in practice — not just on paper.

Key changes the Code introduced that your training and policies should reflect:

• A broad definition of harassment. It now expressly covers sexual harassment, bullying (including cyber-bullying), racial, ethnic and social-origin harassment, gender-based harassment, and the misuse of power. Harassment is treated as a form of unfair discrimination under section 6 of the EEA when linked to a prohibited ground.
• An impact-based, objective test. Intent to harm is not required — what matters is the impact on the complainant and what a reasonable person would regard as harassment.
• An expanded “workplace”. Protection extends beyond the physical premises to work-related travel, training and social events, employer-provided accommodation and transport, remote/virtual work, and work-related communications — and to third parties such as clients, contractors and suppliers.

For most organisations the practical upshot is simple: a policy and a once-off briefing are no longer enough. Managers need to understand the wider definition, apply the impact-based test consistently, and recognise that conduct on a WhatsApp group, at a year-end function or during a client visit can fall squarely within scope.

Compliance note: This section is general guidance, not legal advice. For binding interpretation, consult a labour-law professional and the official Code.

Employer Obligations: What the Code Requires

Under section 60 of the EEA and the harassment Code, employers are expected to take proactive and remedial steps to prevent harassment. In practical terms, that means your organisation should be able to demonstrate:

• A risk assessment of the potential for harassment in your specific workplace.
• A harassment policy, developed in consultation with employees and their representatives, containing the Code’s required statements.
• Training and ongoing awareness so employees understand the forms of harassment and how to report them.
• Confidentiality for both the complainant and the alleged perpetrator during any investigation.
• Clear grievance and disciplinary procedures, plus advice, assistance and counselling (and, in some cases, additional sick leave) for affected employees.

Demonstrating these steps is central to managing the risk of vicarious liability if a matter is challenged. Where an employer is made aware of harassment and fails to take the steps a reasonable employer would take, it can be held liable for the conduct of its employees. Training your staff — and keeping a record of who attended and when — is one of the clearest, most cost-effective ways to show the Code is being applied and that your organisation acted reasonably.

Building and Implementing a Harassment Policy

A policy only protects your organisation if people understand and follow it. This course walks participants through drafting a fit-for-purpose anti-harassment policy and, just as importantly, embedding it: communicating it to all employees and relevant third parties, training managers to apply it consistently, and reviewing it after incidents. We look at the statements the Code expects a policy to contain, how to set out the reporting channels clearly, and how to keep the document practical rather than a shelf-bound formality. Pair this with BOTI’s Employment Equity Fundamentals training to align harassment policy with your broader EE plan and designated-employer duties.

Investigations, Grievances and Fair Procedure

Getting the procedure right protects everyone — the complainant, the respondent and the organisation. The workshop covers informal and formal resolution routes, how to investigate fairly and confidentially, how to handle false allegations without discouraging genuine reports, and how to apply consistent, defensible sanctions. It also addresses the human side: supporting a complainant who may be reluctant to come forward, protecting both parties from retaliation, and managing the team dynamics in the aftermath of an incident. Managers who chair these processes benefit from BOTI’s Effective Disciplinary Hearing training to ensure hearings meet the fairness standards of the Labour Relations Act.

Who Should Attend

The course is designed for whole teams, but it delivers the most value to:

• HR and L&D practitioners who own policy, reporting and awareness programmes.
• Line managers and team leaders who are usually the first point of contact for a complaint.
• Business owners and operations managers accountable for a respectful, compliant culture.
• Employee representatives and committee members involved in grievance and consultation processes.

Run it as an organisation-wide awareness session, a focused manager workshop, or part of an induction programme for new joiners.

Related Courses to Strengthen Your Compliance Cluster

Harassment rarely sits in isolation. Strengthen the surrounding skills with:

• Workplace Violence Course — recognise, de-escalate and respond to violent conflict (unchecked harassment can escalate into violence).
• Conflict Resolution Training — mediation and resolution skills that prevent disputes from becoming grievances.
• Diversity Management Training — build inclusive teams and reduce the conditions in which harassment occurs.

Why Choose BOTI

BOTI (Business Optimization Training Institute) is an accredited South African corporate training provider delivering over 450 courses, with a client base that includes Sasol, Glencore and the City of Johannesburg. We deliver in-house and on-site across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria — and remotely — with content tailored to your industry, your existing policies and your team’s day-to-day realities.

Free Resource

Planning a harassment-policy refresh? Request our free workplace harassment policy checklist aligned to the EE harassment Code — a practical starting point for your risk assessment and policy review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this workplace harassment training accredited?
This is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). BOTI is an accredited training provider in general (Services SETA 12582, MICT SETA ACC/2016/07/0045, and a QCTO Quality Partner). If you need a credit-bearing route for related skills, ask about our QCTO Office Administrator (102161) or Generic Management qualifications.

Does the course cover the new Employment Equity harassment Code?
Yes. The course is delivered in the context of the 2022 Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace, including employer obligations, the broadened definition of harassment, and policy and procedure requirements.

Who should attend workplace harassment training?
All employees benefit, but it is especially valuable for HR/L&D practitioners, line managers, team leaders and business owners responsible for policy, investigations and a respectful workplace culture.

Ready to Build a Respectful, Compliant Workplace?

Equip your managers and teams to prevent and handle harassment correctly — and create the documented compliance trail the EE Code expects.

Request a quote or book a free 15-minute callback or call 011-882-8853 today.