Guide to the Worker Protection Act 2023: Creating a safer workplace

With the Worker Protection Act 2023 in effect since 26 October, UK employers face new, proactive responsibilities to prevent sexual harassment at work.

The Act requires all UK organisations to take a proactive approach and implement reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment is in force from 26 October 2024. Although the new law requires employers to assess the risk of sexual harassment, the legislation was weakened throughout its passage in Parliament. However the new Employment Rights Bill will see many of these omissions reintroduced, and more steps placed on employers to prevent sexual harassment.

The duty to protect employees from sexual harassment by third parties like clients or suppliers was removed from the Worker Protection Act. Gone too were harassment protections related to other protected characteristics. Harassment related to sex (like sexism or misogyny) is not included in the new law, only harassment that is specifically of a sexual nature.

The House of Lords also removed the requirement on organisations to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent harassment. Only “reasonable steps” are mandated by the new legislation.

Despite the watering down of the Worker Protection Act from its original intent, the Labour government have committed to reintroducing much of what was taken out. In the draft Employment Rights Bill published on 10 October 2024, the government set out critical new steps to prevent sexual harassment.

Our latest guide is designed to help organisations understand their obligations under this new legislation and foster a safer, zero-tolerance workplace. Download the guide to learn more about:

The “preventative duty” required under the Worker Protection Act
Practical steps for risk assessment and harassment prevention
Key compliance measures to protect your team

How are you managing your GDPR compliance requirements?

GDPR added a significant compliance burden on DPOs and data processors. Data breaches must be reported to the authorities within 72 hours, each new data processing activity needs to be documented and Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) must be carried out for processing that is likely to result in a high risk to individuals. Penalties for breaching GDPR can reach into the tens of millions of Euros.

“In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.”