With significant changes to workplace harassment law coming into force on 30 October 2026, employers need to be taking a close look at how prepared they are.
Our recent industry poll paints a striking picture. While businesses recognise the potential legal, financial and reputational consequences of workplace harassment, many are still working towards meeting the new requirements.
The poll gathered responses from organisations of all sizes, from micro-businesses to large enterprises with more than 250 employees. The results suggest that, for many employers, there is still work to do before the new rules come into force.
How prepared are businesses for the October changes?
We asked attendees how prepared their organisation was for the new ‘all reasonable steps’ duty to prevent sexual harassment and the changes relating to harassment by third parties.
The results showed that most businesses are still working towards compliance:
- 74.1% said their preparations were a work in progress
- 14.6% had not started
- 5.7% were unaware of the changes
- 5.7% said they were fully prepared
This means 94.3% of organisations were not yet fully prepared for the October 2026 changes at the time of the poll.
For employers that have yet to begin reviewing their approach, the message is clear: preparation should not be left until the final weeks before the new requirements take effect.
Where are businesses on their compliance journey?
We also asked businesses about the practical steps they had already taken.
Around a third, 33.4%, said they had policies and training in place, while 30.5% were just getting started.
A further 20.4% said they had risk assessments underway, while only 5.8% considered their approach to be fully embedded.
This highlights an important point. Having a policy in place is only one part of preventing harassment. Employers also need to consider whether their approach works in practice, including how risks are identified, how managers are equipped to respond and how employees are trained.
Do existing harassment policies meet the requirements?
The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 introduced a duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees.
We therefore asked respondents about the current status of their policies.
More than half, 55.3%, said sexual harassment was included within their bullying and harassment policy and that this had been reviewed following the October 2024 changes.
However, 21.3% said they only had a broad bullying policy, while 23.4% said their policy was outdated, missing, or they were unsure whether it met the requirements of the Worker Protection Act 2023.
That means more than 44% of respondents did not have a dedicated, up-to-date approach to sexual harassment.
With further changes coming into force in October 2026, employers should consider whether their existing policies are still fit for purpose and reflect the practical steps their organisation is taking to prevent harassment.
Workplace harassment remains a real risk
The poll also highlighted the extent to which businesses are already dealing with workplace harassment.
More than half of respondents, 52.8%, said they had dealt with workplace harassment during the previous 12 months.
Internal harassment was the most common form reported. 34.1% had experienced peer-to-peer harassment, while 23.6% had dealt with sexual harassment between colleagues.
Third-party harassment was also a concern. 12.4% of respondents had dealt with harassment from third parties, while 9.7% had experienced third-party sexual harassment.
This is particularly relevant for organisations whose employees regularly interact with customers, clients or members of the public. 81.5% of respondents said their staff interact with customers, while 36.3% interact with vulnerable groups.
The figures demonstrate why employers need to look beyond what happens between colleagues when assessing harassment risks.
Are line managers equipped to prevent harassment?
Line managers have an important role to play in identifying and addressing inappropriate behaviour. However, the poll suggests that capability and confidence remain significant barriers.
Overall, 68.6% of the challenges identified related to confidence and capability.
This included:
- 26.1% who said managers lacked confidence to step in
- 22.1% who were concerned about getting it wrong
- 20.4% who identified insufficient training as a barrier
A further 24.6% of barriers related to operational pressures, including heavy workloads and a lack of time for active risk management.
This suggests that simply giving managers a policy to follow may not be enough. They need the confidence, knowledge and practical skills to recognise potential issues and know what action to take.
What are businesses most concerned about?
When considering the consequences of failing to address harassment effectively, respondents highlighted both organisational and financial risks.
The impact on culture and productivity was a concern for 64.3%, while 64.1% identified reputational damage as a key risk.
Other concerns included:
- 52.5% – staff turnover
- 52.3% – the potential 25% employment tribunal compensation uplift
- 33.5% – direct enforcement action from the EHRC
The results show that the risks associated with workplace harassment extend well beyond potential legal action. Poorly managed harassment can affect employee morale, productivity, retention and an organisation’s reputation.
What should employers be doing before October?
With the October 2026 changes approaching, employers should be reviewing their current approach to harassment prevention and identifying any gaps.
Based on the findings from our poll, two areas stand out as particularly important: line manager capability and practical risk assessment.
Employers should consider whether their managers have received appropriate training and whether they feel confident dealing with potential harassment concerns.
They should also assess the risks that are specific to their organisation. This could include considering where employees interact with customers or other third parties, identifying situations where harassment may be more likely to occur and putting appropriate preventative measures in place.
Policies should also be reviewed to ensure they are up to date and supported by practical procedures, training and effective reporting mechanisms.
October is approaching. Is your organisation ready?
The poll results provide a useful snapshot of how businesses are preparing for the next stage of harassment law.
While some organisations are already well advanced, many are still working towards compliance, with gaps remaining around policies, training, risk assessments and manager capability.
With the ‘all reasonable steps’ duty and third-party harassment changes coming into force on 30 October 2026, now is the time for employers to review their approach and address any outstanding gaps.
Taking action now can help organisations build a stronger preventative approach, support their managers and reduce the potential legal, financial and reputational risks associated with workplace harassment.
