October 2026 Harassment Duty - Employer Checklist

From 30th October 2026 two separate legal duties around harassment changed.

The first: the standard for preventing sexual harassment rises from "reasonable steps" to "all reasonable steps".

This means that, if an employee brings a successful sexual harassment claim, you need to be able to show that there were genuinely no further steps you could reasonably have taken to prevent it.

The second: employers will also be liable for third-party harassment.

This means that you need to take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment by clients, customers, contractors and members of the public towards your employees.

What does being compliant with both duties look like?

An up-to-date harassment policy that specifically covers third-party harassment
A record of staff reading and acknowledging the policy
Managers trained on recognising and handling harassment, with attendance records to prove it
A documented reporting process that your employees know how to use
A written risk assessment 

All of the above filed together and ready to produce if you're ever challenged

We've put the key requirements into a 6-step checklist you can download so you can see exactly where you stand. 👇

If you'd like to talk through any of the above or you need help with getting your harassment processes in order, get in touch for a free, confidential chat.