UK Employment Rights Act: Harassment Rules Tighten
2026-05-01 | News
The UK Employment Rights Act (enacted December 2025) introduces major changes to employment law, including expanded paternity/parental leave rights, stronger unfair dismissal protections, and enhanced flexible working.
For harassment compliance, two key deadlines stand out:
- April 2026: Sexual harassment complaints qualify as protected whistleblowing disclosures, raising expectations for how reports are handled and safeguarded from retaliation
- October 2026: Employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent and correct harassment — a higher legal standard requiring more proactive and comprehensive measures, including training. Employers must also prevent and address harassment by third parties.
As a result, organizations with UK employees should be prepared to demonstrate that their harassment prevention efforts are active, documented, and effective in practice, not just policy based.
Traliant’s Preventing Workplace Harassment – UK Edition is aligned with evolving enforcement expectations.
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