New duty on employers to proactively prevent sexual harassment in the workplace
Earlier this year, the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill passed through the House of Commons. This private member’s bill initially proposed amendments to the Equality Act 2010 to make employers liable for third-party harassment and to introduce a duty requiring employers to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. However, following a debate in the House of Lords in July, the new employer liability for third-party harassment has been dropped from the draft