28.10.2025
One year on - has the Worker Protection Act delivered real change?
The 26 October 2025, marked one year since the Worker Protection Act 2023 came into force. The landmark change has placed a new preventative duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
The reform signalled a shift in the way harassment in the workplace is dealt with - moving away from a reactive approach, the focus is now on proactive prevention, with employers expected to create safer and more respectful working environments from the start.
One year on - has the Act delivered meaningful change, or is there still work to do? Recent data suggests that almost half of businesses are still falling short of their legal duties when it comes to preventing sexual harassment at work.
Senior Solicitor in law firm Harper James' employment team, Claire Cole, said: "The new preventative duty was intended to change how employers address sexual harassment, from retrospective crisis management to proactive and ongoing risk assessment. Yet our conversations with HR leaders show many policies are still generic and training is outdated. This isn’t about a one-off compliance exercise. If faced with a Tribunal claim, employers will have to demonstrate that they took proactive steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, including regular risk assessments, preventative measures, and training. Senior leaders need to ensure that there is evidence of action, not just intention.
"Recent data suggests that nearly half of UK organisations have not yet completed a risk assessment for sexual harassment, and a third have not delivered any new training in the past year. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has made it clear that generic policies are not enough; evidence of ongoing prevention is now the standard.
"As frontline professionals, HR teams are uniquely placed to shape workplace culture and safeguard both staff wellbeing and legal compliance. Now is the time to review internal practices, refresh reporting mechanisms, and move away from a tick-box mindset towards active leadership on this issue."
The reform signalled a shift in the way harassment in the workplace is dealt with - moving away from a reactive approach, the focus is now on proactive prevention, with employers expected to create safer and more respectful working environments from the start.
One year on - has the Act delivered meaningful change, or is there still work to do? Recent data suggests that almost half of businesses are still falling short of their legal duties when it comes to preventing sexual harassment at work.
Senior Solicitor in law firm Harper James' employment team, Claire Cole, said: "The new preventative duty was intended to change how employers address sexual harassment, from retrospective crisis management to proactive and ongoing risk assessment. Yet our conversations with HR leaders show many policies are still generic and training is outdated. This isn’t about a one-off compliance exercise. If faced with a Tribunal claim, employers will have to demonstrate that they took proactive steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, including regular risk assessments, preventative measures, and training. Senior leaders need to ensure that there is evidence of action, not just intention.
"Recent data suggests that nearly half of UK organisations have not yet completed a risk assessment for sexual harassment, and a third have not delivered any new training in the past year. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has made it clear that generic policies are not enough; evidence of ongoing prevention is now the standard.
"As frontline professionals, HR teams are uniquely placed to shape workplace culture and safeguard both staff wellbeing and legal compliance. Now is the time to review internal practices, refresh reporting mechanisms, and move away from a tick-box mindset towards active leadership on this issue."
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