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New law: Proposed duty to prevent third party harassment of employees dropped

Author: Atom Content Marketing

Published: 01 Oct 2023

Employers should carefully monitor proposed new equality laws currently going through Parliament, which seem to have dropped a planned new duty on employers to prevent harassment of employees by third parties.

The proposed duty was that employers should protect workers from harassment by customers, clients and other third parties, by taking ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent it.

It seems that this duty has been dropped as the new laws reach their final stages of approval by Parliament. If so, employers’ current liabilities for third party harassment of employees by third parties will continue unchanged – ie an employer will remain liable only if it ignores employee complaints about third party harassment.

Operative date

  • Now

Recommendation

  • Employers should put plans to amend processes, policies and procedures to take the proposed new rules into account on hold.
Disclaimer

This article from Atom Content Marketing is for general guidance only, for businesses in the United Kingdom governed by the laws of England. Atom Content Marketing, expert contributors and ICAEW (as distributor) disclaim all liability for any errors or omissions.

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Legal Alert is a monthly checklist from Atom Content Marketing highlighting new and pending laws, regulations, codes of practice and rulings that could have an impact on your business.