UK Employers Face Tougher Harassment Duty From 30 October
From today, 30 October 2026, the bar for employers across England, Scotland and Wales has risen. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, the legal duty to prevent sexual harassment of staff moves from taking “reasonable steps” to taking “all reasonable steps” — a deliberately higher standard that leaves less room for picking only some of the available measures.
The change builds on a duty first introduced in October 2024. Since then, employers have been expected to act before incidents happen rather than simply respond afterwards. The new wording strengthens that expectation: where a step is reasonable for an organisation, it should be taken.
What “all reasonable steps” means in practice
Guidance from Acas points to organisation-wide prevention, covering conduct online as well as in person. Typical measures include clear anti-harassment policies, risk assessments, staff training, trusted reporting and complaints routes, and regular checks on whether those measures are working. What counts as reasonable will vary with an employer’s size, sector and working arrangements — a small firm and a large contractor will not be expected to do identical things, but neither can now settle for a partial effort.
Third-party harassment and union access
The same package brings back employer liability for harassment by third parties. If a customer, client, contractor or member of the public harasses an employee at work, the employer can be held liable unless it took all reasonable steps to prevent it. That protection is wider than sexual harassment alone: it covers harassment linked to protected characteristics.
Trade unions also gain a new route to physical or digital workplace access, through agreements or decisions of the Central Arbitration Committee. The reforms apply in Great Britain; Northern Ireland is not covered by this commencement.
