Guide for UK employers
The duty to prevent harassment since 30 October 2026: a checklist for small employers
Short answer: since 30 October 2026, employers in England, Wales and Scotland must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their staff, and can be liable for harassment by third parties such as customers and clients. Acas suggests assessing the risks, having a policy, training staff, giving more than one way to report, and updating your customer and supplier terms [1, 2].
What changes on 30 October 2026
| Change | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sexual harassment | The duty moves from taking “reasonable steps” to prevent it to taking “all reasonable steps” [1]. |
| Third-party harassment | Employers can be liable for harassment of their staff by customers, clients, suppliers and other third parties. It covers harassment under the Equality Act except harassment related to pregnancy and maternity, or marriage and civil partnership [2, 3]. |
| Where | England, Wales and Scotland. Not Northern Ireland [3]. |
What “all reasonable steps” means for a small business
Acas says it depends on your size, sector and type of work, and that it means doing what is possible with the resources you have. If you decide a step isn’t reasonable for you, write down why [2].
An 8-point checklist
Based on the steps Acas suggests [1, 2].
- ☐ Assess the risks, including from customers, clients and visitors, and act on what you find.
- ☐ Have a policy on harassment, or update the one you have. A standalone sexual harassment policy can help.
- ☐ Train your staff, including how to stay safe and calm a situation down.
- ☐ Give more than one way to report, so no one has to go through the person they’re reporting.
- ☐ Record incidents and what you did about them.
- ☐ Update your terms with customers, clients and suppliers, including booking terms.
- ☐ Tell customers what happens if they harass your staff.
- ☐ In higher-risk settings, consider extra staff, personal alarms or cameras.
Where it fits with stress risk assessment
Employers already have a legal duty to assess the risk of work-related stress and act on it, and to write the assessment down if they have five or more workers [4]. Harassment sits in the “relationships” area of HSE’s six Management Standards, so you can cover both in one assessment.
Official guidance
- Acas has updated its guidance on sexual harassment and third-party harassment [1, 2].
- The EHRC’s existing technical guidance applies for now; it has said new guidance is coming [3].
Plan it room by room, for free
The Psychosocial Risk Toolkit helps you plan controls for stress and harassment risks, including client-facing spaces, with the HSE Management Standards and the law alongside.
General information as of 27 October 2026, not legal advice. Check the current guidance, and take advice for your own situation.
Sources
- Acas, Sexual harassment: harassment law changes: https://www.acas.org.uk/employment-rights-act-2025/harassment-law-changes/sexual-harassment
- Acas, Third-party harassment: harassment law changes: https://www.acas.org.uk/employment-rights-act-2025/harassment-law-changes
- Business.gov.uk, Workplace sexual harassment and third-party harassment: https://www.business.gov.uk/campaign/employment-changes/employers/workplace-sexual-harassment-and-third-party-harassment/
- HSE, Stress risk assessment: https://www.hse.gov.uk/STRESS/risk-assessment.htm