The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill

Introduced by Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse as a Private Members’ Bill in June 2022. 

The purpose of the Bill is to protect employees from third party sexual harassment in the workplace by imposing new duties on employees.

The initial requirement for employers to take “all reasonable steps” was diluted to “reasonable steps” with amendments anticipated, but these did not come into fruition.

The Bill received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, without amendment, and is expected to be effective from November 2024. It’s therefore a good time for employers to consider preventative action for the future.

Although claims for third party harassment were not specifically added, as initially predicted, liability is still a risk. Employers need to take complaints seriously, and have clear, widely operated polices and sufficient training on those policies, to show that they have taken the “reasonable steps” required.