Coming soon – A duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment

A consultation on sexual harassment in the workplace ran from July to October 2019.

The Government has responded to that consultation by confirming that it intends to introduce a duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment at work. It is suggested that there will also be explicit protections from third-party harassment (for example harassment of an employer's member of staff by a customer). The government is also considering extending the time limit for such claims from 3 to 6 months.

The intention is that new rules will prompt employers to take positive steps to prevent harassment. There are not yet any details of the proposed new duty. However, it is anticipated that this may involve a positive duty upon employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent workplace sexual harassment.

However, any new rules will be subject to parliamentary time.

More details to follow when available.

This is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.