Ninety colleagues witnessed or became aware of unacceptable behaviour, and of them nearly nine in ten felt able to take action. That was but one result of a recent #NeverOK staff survey, completed by 586 colleagues in late April and early May 2026.
One year on
We are now one year since the Office for Students Condition E6 came into effect (August 1st, 2025). This required universities to effectively prevent and respond to harassment and sexual misconduct. Since then, over 90% of staff have completed the #NeverOK training e-module. This is a great achievement!
Is training enough?
However, as the Staff Training Officer, I’m often asked: “Is training enough, isn’t it just a tick box?”. It is a fair challenge, and I try to consider it thoughtfully. In some ways ,I agree; training is often not enough on its own, but we must be careful that we do not have too high expectations of what training can actually do.
Without a doubt, what the #NeverOK e-module has done is make people much more aware of how they can be an ally, how they can use bystander interventions, and how they can use reporting routes; to some extent, it has also improved people’s confidence in noticing, speaking up and confronting bad behaviour and bullying. However, training on its own cannot change organisational culture. That is why #NeverOK is an ongoing campaign, for both staff and students - one that seeks to embed, reinforce and strengthen how we tackle harassment, bullying and unacceptable behaviour at the University of Bath.
What the survey told us
That is also why we conducted the follow-up questionnaire to which staff from every job family responded. It also keeps a promise. When we reported back on the module feedback in February 2026, we said we would keep monitoring and evaluating #NeverOK’s impact - not just a spotlight on attitudes, but on behaviour as well.
What is really encouraging to see from the recent follow-up survey is the degree to which people felt their knowledge of what they had learnt in the training had stayed with them. For example, almost nine in ten people still knew how to access Support and Report, and four in five felt they would be confident in knowing how to respond to something they witnessed.
Something that has particularly stayed with people is the 5Ds- Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay or Document, a set of bystander interventions that everyone can use. Of those who had witnessed something, 35 checked in with the person affected, 26 helped someone to report, and 20 spoke directly to the person behaving badly. Staff are using these tools in university corridors and in meetings; some told us they now feel empowered to call out unacceptable language on the spot. What we’re seeing, therefore, is not something that stays in a module, or is simply a “tickbox”!
Where we can do better
Nonetheless, there are still things that we can improve as a community. In the survey, over 179 people asked for a clearer explanation of what happens after a report is made; and it was also apparent that the local culture of a department can have a significant effect on how comfortable someone feels about speaking up. Some colleagues also told us that their experience of reporting did not match their expectations - and trust in the process dips when that happens.
Transparency and trust are clearly areas that we could improve quickly but meaningfully. We have already started to act on this. The Support and Report team produced a short film (featuring Peter Eley and Britt Sawyer) explaining what actually happens when you get in touch - and how you stay in control of what happens next. They have also created a simple flowchart of the process that departments can print and share. We want far more colleagues to know that these exist, so please do take a look.
Reasons to be optimistic
There is, therefore, a lot of good news! What is most noticeable is that worry has decreased. In February, we reported how in the module exit survey, almost half of staff worried that reporting could make things worse; six months after completing the module, that is down to just over a quarter - the biggest single shift anywhere in the survey. The sample is of course smaller, and it does not mean we can rest on our laurels, but it is still an encouraging sign.
What happens next
What now for the #NeverOK Campaign? We have a number of broader priorities coming up, including continuing to develop strands which focus on sexual harassment, misogyny and anti-racism. In response to the follow-up survey in particular, we’ve listened to what people want, and we’ll be creating a one-page 5Ds guide, which more than half of you (308 people) asked for, as well as some targeted line manager guidance. We are also discussing the need for a “what happens after you report” guide, that so many of you also highlighted as a gap.
Focus groups will take place throughout the summer; 61 of you have already volunteered, for which thank you! There is still time to add your voice, and we would welcome more volunteers. This is not only about hearing what has worked with the #NeverOK module; we also want to consider how we can improve, and how the principles of #NeverOK can be applied within our everyday practice - no matter which role or job we have at the University.
More than a module
It is worth remembering that none of this began with Condition E6. #NeverOK (and its former variant Be the Change) has been established at Bath for a number of years. We have many to thank for developing such a strong campaign-led environment at the University; including Professor Cassie Wilson, now Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience, Abi Price, Lizzie Tilley, Luiza Bell, Dan Holley and many others. Furthermore, what happens at Bath is a reminder that the work we do does not sit in isolation. It is part of a wider Higher Education conversation about how universities prevent and respond to harassment and sexual misconduct - work informed by organisations like The 1752 Group.
Ultimately, while there is always room for improvement in terms of institutional culture change, we still need to recognise what this survey highlights - that colleagues are doing the actual ‘work’ of #NeverOK daily. The survey merely brings into view what many of us have seen or felt; this is an encouraging sign, and demonstrates that our community have taken on the ongoing challenge of #NeverOK. Looking at the next academic year, the #NeverOK team and I feel confident that we can build on this framework and continue to embed these values in a way which raises awareness, changes attitudes, and helps to shift behaviour.
Respond
