New preventative duty for employers. Take all reasonable steps

Practical support to help businesses take all reasonable steps to prevent third-party and sexual harassment in the workplace.

From 30 October 2026, employers will have a new duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent third-party harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace.

2 in 5 British employers are unaware of the changes ahead – a recent YouGov poll found that 41% of businesses were unaware of the new duty.

What do employers need to do?

This new duty extends beyond a policy. Employers will need to consider the specific risks within their organisation and take all proactive, practical steps to prevent sexual harassment before it happens.

With the duty approaching, now is the time to understand what “all reasonable steps” means for your organisation and whether your current approach is enough.

Helping you navigate the changes

Our Employment Law team will work with you to help you identify your risks, address gaps and put practical measures in place to support compliance with the new duty, effectively.

Practical support for taking all reasonable steps

Our comprehensive fixed-fee compliance package provides bespoke support based on the needs and risks of your organisation.

This includes:

• An initial meeting to understand your organisation, current approach and specific risks
• A bespoke Prevention of Sexual Harassment Policy
• A bespoke Third-Party Harassment Procedure
• A review of relevant contracts and workplace policies
• A review of your approach to identifying and assessing risk
• A report highlighting areas for improvement and recommended next steps
• Initial employee training
• Management guidance on responding to concerns
• Template reporting tools
• Investigation checklists and practical guidance
• New starter induction resources
• Bespoke workplace resources

Ongoing support

For organisations looking for more comprehensive support, we can also provide ongoing employment law and HR advice to help keep your approach under review alongside developments in your organisation and the legal landscape.

To discuss the options available on how we can enhance and tailor the package to suit your organisation, get in touch with a member of our Employment team today via the contact form, hello@darwingray.com or 02920 829 100.

Free webinar: Employers, why your “reasonable steps” to prevent workplace harassment will no longer be enough

Understanding the new duty is one thing. Knowing what all reasonable steps means in practice is another.

To understand more about the new duty before deciding what action your business needs to take, join our Employment Law experts for a practical webinar looking at what the new duty means for employers, how to identify the risks within your organisation and what steps you should be considering ahead of 30 October.

When: 21 October

Online | Free to attend

For more information on what “all reasonable steps” means for your business, sign up for our free webinar, here.

Not sure where to start?

Our team have created a quick “All Reasonable Steps” Healthcheck Questionnaire that can help you identify areas of your current approach that may need further attention.

The questionnaire covers some of the key areas employers should be considering ahead of 30 October, including policies, training, risk assessments and reporting procedures.

Complete the health check to get an initial sense of where your business may need to take further action:

Start the healthcheck

Start by understanding your current position.

Our Employment Law team can help you review your current approach, identify the risks within your organisation and consider whether you are taking all reasonable steps to prevent third-party and sexual harassment.

Don’t leave preparation until the last minute.

The duty is approaching, and the steps you take now can help put your organisation in a stronger position to demonstrate a proactive approach to preventing third-party and sexual harassment.

To learn more about our support available and the fixed-fee compliance package, book a conversation with our Employment Law team, using our contact form, hello@darwingray.com or via 02920 829 100.