Amended technical guidance – Sexual harassment and harassment at work

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published updated technical guidance on sexual harassment and harassment at work. By way of reminder, the new positive duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workforce comes into force on 26 October 2024. The amended guidance reflects comments made during a recent consultation on proposed amendments to the original guidance in the light of the new duty.

The document has been updated to provide guidance on an employer’s legal obligations to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workforce. Further examples have been added to illustrate what might amount to a reasonable step.

The updated guidance was published on 26 September 2024. A link to the guidance can be found here.

Employer eight-step guide

The EHRC has also provided an eight-step guide on preventing sexual harassment at work. These include:

Step 1 – Develop an effective anti-harassment policy.

Step 2 – Engage your staff.

Step 3 – Assess and take steps to reduce risk in your workplace.

Step 4 – Reporting.

Step 5 – Training.

Step 6 – What to do when a harassment complaint is made.

Step 7 – Dealing with harassment by third parties.

Step 8 – Monitor and evaluate your actions.

The link to the eight-step guide can be found here.

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