Harassment and Bullying at Work Prevention Employer Guidance Notes

These Employer Guidance Notes: Harassment and Bullying at Work Prevention provide advice to employers on how to address the issue of harassment and bullying in the workplace. They also provide guidelines as to how employers and managers should respond to employees complaining of bullying and/or harassment.

Employers should be aware that, since October 2024, they have been legally required to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees in the course of their employment. Where an employment tribunal upholds a sexual harassment claim against an employer and orders it to pay compensation, the tribunal must consider whether the employer has also breached its duty to prevent sexual harassment and, if it has, may increase the compensation by up to 25%. From 30 October 2026, following the Employment Rights Act 2025, employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees in the course of their employment, and are also liable for harassment (as defined in the Equality Act 2010, so not only sexual harassment) of their employees by third parties, such as customers or clients, in the course of their employment unless they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent it.

These guidance notes are to be used in conjunction with the Harassment and Bullying Policy and/or the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Policy (available from the related document links). These policies are the key documents, setting out what the company expects from its employees, its commitment to protect them from harassment and bullying and the relevant procedures.

Also available to download are Employee Harassment & Guidance Notes.

The Guidance Notes include the following sections:

1. Introduction 

2.  Definition of Harassment and Bullying

3. Guidelines for Employers

4. Guidelines for Managers

5. Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures

6. Taking Action.

These guidance notes are in open format.

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Harassment and Bullying at Work Prevention Employer Guidance Notes is part of Employment. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Employment for 1 year.