Workplace sexual harassment and third-party harassment

What's changing

In October 2024, the Worker Protection Act 2023 came into force, requiring employers to anticipate the risk of sexual harassment occurring and take reasonable steps to prevent it. The Employment Rights Act 2025 contains measures to strengthen these protections, which will come into force from 30 October 2026.

Employers will be expected to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their employees, and will be obliged not to permit third parties to harass their employees. These changes will help make workplaces safer for everyone.

Key changes

• Employers must now take all of the steps that are reasonable for their organisation to take to prevent sexual harassment.
• Employers must not permit the harassment of their employees by third parties, for example, customers and clients. This provision covers all types of harassment under the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment and harassment related to a protected characteristic apart from pregnancy and maternity, and marriage and civil partnership.

How to prepare

Acas has updated its guidance on workplace sexual harassmentopens www.acas.org.uk in a new tab and third party harassmentopens www.acas.org.uk in a new tab to reflect the upcoming changes, and this is now available on their website.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will also be publishing guidance soon; in the meantime, employers should refer to existing technical guidance on sexual harassment and harassment at workopens www.equalityhumanrights.com in a new tab.

EHRC also has advice on:

• action plans to prevent sexual harassment at workopens www.equalityhumanrights.com in a new tab
• producing an 8-step guide to prevent sexual harassment at workopens www.equalityhumanrights.com in a new tab

Further information is available on the Acas website, including:

• guidance on preventing sexual harassmentopens www.acas.org.uk in a new tab
• a recording of a past webinar with EHRC on sexual harassmentopens www.acas.org.uk in a new tab
• courses (fees apply) for employers on sexual harassment in the workplaceopens obs.acas.org.uk in a new tab
• a learning course on prevention and early actionopens elearning.acas.org.uk in a new tab

Where these changes apply

These measures apply to England, Wales and Scotland, but not to Northern Ireland, where equality and discrimination law is devolved.

More information

For more information visit our factsheet on sexual harassment protections.opens assets.publishing.service.gov.uk in a new tab

This page will be updated when further guidance is available.