The Worker Protection Act: What It Means For You

The Worker Protection Act 2023 will come into effect in the UK on 26 October 2024. It’s an amendment of the Equality Act 2010 and brings in new legislation to further protect workers against sexual harassment. This includes a legal requirement for employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. It also gives employment tribunals the power to increase compensation by up to 25% if they find that an employer has not met the duty of care laid out in the Act.

So what does this mean in real terms for employees and employers?

For employees it means you should be seeing and hearing your employer reviewing and updating policies and procedures. If you have any concerns about sexual harassment in your workplace you should have a safe and confidential way of reporting this. If the worst happens and your employer is negligent in their duty to protect you against sexual harassment then you’ll likely get more compensation for this.

For employers it’s time to get to work. You may have a policy in place but you’re going to need to make some changes to ensure it is fit for purpose. Most importantly it’s time to reflect on your culture and ask some tough questions of your business.

• Do we have a culture of inclusion or exclusion?

• Have you had any reports of sexual harassment, of any kind?

• Do you think your employees would report and know how to report?

• Do we actually know what sexual harassment is and looks like?

• Do we have support in place for all employees involved in sexual harassment cases?

Ask yourself these questions and you should know how much or little work is required to ensure you are compliant with the Act and the duty you owe your employees.

Next Steps

• Training - educate your workforce and your managers, the best protection is prevention. Ensure your employees know what sexual harassment means and looks like, ensure your managers know what to do to address any early concerns.

• Policy and procedure - consider your business reporting channels, is this safe and effective, do you need to consider anonymous reporting tools? Update your policies and procedures accordingly.

• Information - collect data regularly, consider different sources, employee surveys, number of employee relations cases, and demographics to name a few.

• Accountability - hold yourself and all employees at all levels accountable for their words and actions.

Need Help?

If you are an employee needing an ally or an employer needing support please email for further information or book in a free enquiry with Career Ally.