BITESIZE WEBINAR MAY 2026

Bitesize Webinar - The Duty to Prevent Sexual Harassment at Work

The latest Horsfield Menzies HR Matters – Bitesize webinar focused on employers’ expanding legal duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment at work, particularly in light of the legislative change coming into force in October. Although the amendment involves adding just one word—“all”—the speakers emphasised that this represents a significant shift from reactive to proactive employer obligations.

A central theme was the importance of robust, regularly reviewed risk assessments. As Calum Maclean explained, these cannot be one‑off documents; they must be revisited every 3–6 months or whenever the business undergoes material change, such as acquisitions or TUPE transfers. The transcript notes: “risk assessments… can’t be a one-off exercise… I would suggest six months at a minimum.” Employers must identify real‑world risks, including travel, social events, lone working, customer‑facing roles, and workplace culture.

The webinar also highlighted the complexities of third‑party harassment, where employers cannot control behaviour directly. Despite this, the duty still applies. Practical steps include setting expectations with contractors and clients, training staff on how to respond to inappropriate behaviour, avoiding high‑risk lone working, and ensuring managers take complaints seriously. As stated: “we can’t remove the risk entirely… but we have to show that we’ve taken all those reasonable steps to manage it.”

Evidence will be crucial. Employers must be able to demonstrate active prevention through updated policies, training records, trend monitoring, and consistent responses to complaints. A policy that “looks good on paper” but is not lived in practice will not protect an organisation.

Watch the episode HERE