Regulating to end Workplace Harassment

From the 30th October 2026, employers in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including harassment by third parties.

These changes mark a further development in the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025, but do they go far enough to remedy gaps in protection from harassment in and outside of the workplace?

In this episode, we chat to Dr Natalie Sedacca, Assistant Professor in Employment Law at Durham Law School, who shares her analysis of these provisions as well as the new whistleblowing protection and restrictions on Non-Disclosure Agreements.

We take a look at the UK’s obligations since ratifying ILO Convention 190 and what the road to improving mechanisms to address harassment at work has looked like.

The episode also considers the meaning of taking ‘all reasonable steps’, and where responsibility for the proactive enforcement for harassment lies.

Do share your thoughts on the episode on social media, and subscribe to the IER’s Working Life Podcast.

Our factsheet on Harassment can be found here: https://www.ier.org.uk/employment-rights-bill-ier-fact-sheets/

You can read Dr Sedacca’s article for the Industrial Law Journal here: https://doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dwag008