Worker Protection Act Compliance Check

Why this matters

The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 came into force on 26 October 2024 and marks a fundamental shift in how UK law treats workplace sexual harassment. Employers are no longer judged only on how they respond to incidents — they now have a proactive legal duty to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment from occurring in the first place. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) can investigate and enforce this duty even if no complaint has ever been made. Failure leaves employers exposed not only to EHRC enforcement action but also to a mandatory 25% uplift in compensation awarded by an Employment Tribunal if a harassment claim succeeds.

All UK employers are affected regardless of size, sector, or workforce composition — the duty covers employees, agency workers, and in some contexts contractors. Third-party harassment (from customers, clients, or suppliers) is explicitly within scope. The EHRC’s statutory guidance sets out practical steps businesses should take: written policies, risk assessments, training, clear reporting channels, and regular review. Businesses that cannot demonstrate they have actively taken these steps face significant financial and reputational risk if a claim is brought.

What you'll need

• Knowledge of how many workers (including agency staff) your business employs
• Your current approach to workplace harassment policies and training
• Whether your business involves customer-facing or third-party interactions
• Details of any complaints or incidents in the past two years

What you'll get

A personalised compliance report covering: a score out of 100, an executive summary, a list of findings ranked by severity, and a prioritised action plan with timeframes.