Our position
Everyone who works with us should be able to do so without being bullied or harassed. We do not tolerate bullying or harassment by anyone who works for us, and we do not accept it from customers, their users, suppliers or anyone else our people deal with at work.
This applies wherever work happens, online or in person, including at events and work social occasions.
What we mean
Under the Equality Act 2010, harassment is unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that has the purpose or effect of violating someone's dignity, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them.
Sexual harassment is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that has the same purpose or effect. It also covers treating someone less favourably because they rejected, or gave in to, such conduct.
Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, or a misuse of power, that undermines or humiliates someone. It does not have to be linked to a protected characteristic to be unacceptable here. Examples include:
- unwelcome sexual comments, jokes, messages or images;
- unwanted physical contact;
- comments or so-called banter about someone's age, race, religion, sex, sexuality, disability or other characteristic;
- shouting, threats or repeated unreasonable criticism;
- deliberately leaving someone out of work they should be part of.
The law and our duty
Since 26 October 2024, the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 has required employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees in the course of their employment. An employment tribunal can increase compensation by up to 25% where an employer has breached that duty.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 became law on 18 December 2025. From 30 October 2026, it strengthens that duty: employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. From the same date, employers are also liable for harassment of their staff by third parties, such as customers and clients, unless they took all reasonable steps to prevent it.
We apply these duties to everyone who works for us, whether we employ them or engage them as a contractor.
The steps we take
To meet those duties, we:
- ask everyone who works for us to read this policy when they start and whenever it changes;
- give the Director and our contractors training on what harassment is, how to report it and how to respond to a report, and refresh it each year;
- keep a written assessment of the risks, including risks from customers' users and others outside Templace, and review it each year and after any incident;
- deal with every report promptly and fairly, and take action that fits what happened;
- make clear to customers that we expect their users to treat our people with respect, and act when they do not.
Harassment by customers and other third parties
If anyone from a customer, or any other third party, harasses someone who works for us, tell the Director.
We will support the person affected and raise it with the customer. Depending on what happened, we may limit contact to written channels, pass the work to someone else, or stop giving support to the individual responsible. Serious or repeated harassment can lead us to end the customer's contract under our terms.
If you are harassed while visiting an agency's premises, leave if you feel unsafe and tell the Director as soon as you can.
How to report
You can report bullying or harassment that happened to you, or that you saw happen to someone else. These are the steps:
- If you feel able to, tell the person that their behaviour is unwelcome and ask them to stop. You do not have to do this.
- Report it to the Director by email to terry@hilliernet.co.uk, by phone on 07789 938284, or in person. Write down what happened, when, and who was there, and keep any messages.
- We will acknowledge your report within 2 working days and agree with you what happens next, including any immediate steps to keep you safe.
- We will look into it fairly, speaking to the people involved, and aim to finish within 20 working days. If it will take longer, we will tell you why and when to expect an outcome.
- We will tell you the outcome in writing. If you are unhappy with it, you can ask for a review within 10 working days, and we will respond within a further 10 working days.
- If your report is about the Director, send it in writing to terry@hilliernet.co.uk marked 'Private'. We will ask an independent person from outside Templace to investigate. You may want advice first from Acas (acas.org.uk) or Protect (protect-advice.org.uk).
Confidentiality and protection
We keep reports as confidential as we can while dealing with them properly, and share details only with people who need to know.
No one will be treated less well for making a report in good faith or for helping with an investigation. Victimising someone who has made a report is a serious breach of this policy. So is making a report you know to be false.
Since 6 April 2026, reporting sexual harassment can be a protected disclosure under whistleblowing law; see our whistleblowing policy. If a crime may have been committed, you can report it to the police. In an emergency, call 999.
Outcomes and review
Anyone who works for us and bullies or harasses someone may have their access removed and their contract ended or, if we employ them, face disciplinary action up to dismissal.
We keep a record of every report and what we did about it, and we use what we learn to update our risk assessment. The Director reviews this policy at least once a year and whenever the law changes.
Bullying and harassment, including sexual harassment · version 1.0 · approved 27/10/2026 · next review 27/10/2027. Templace is a trading name of TWH Holdings Limited, company number 10663539, Meadway, Mill Road, Writhlington, Radstock, BA3 5TY.