HR Forum: Sexual Harassment: Is Your Firm Ready for 30 October?

From 30th October 2026, employers will face a significantly tougher duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. 

The current requirement to take “reasonable steps” becomes a requirement to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment. Employers will also face new obligations relating to harassment of employees by third parties, including clients and customers. 

That single word – all – matters. 

At the next PIMFA HR Forum, delivered with the employment Team at Clyde & Co we’ll unpack what the changes mean in practice for HR and people leaders. 

In particular, we’ll explore: 

• What changes on 30 October and how the new duty differs from the rules firms are operating under today.
• The wider legal and regulatory background in which these changes are taking place.
• “Reasonable” vs “all reasonable” steps: what does the higher legal threshold actually mean and what are the expectations on employers, two years in since the prevention duty was first introduced?
• Prevention, not reaction: identifying risk before an incident or complaint occurs.
• Clients, customers and other third parties: where does your responsibility begin and end?
• Policies, training and reporting: what good looks like and where firms may be exposed.
• Managers and senior leaders: who owns this, and what should they be able to demonstrate?
• Evidence: if challenged, could your firm prove the preventative steps it has taken?

Join us on Wednesday 16th September to understand where the bar is moving and whether your current approach will clear it.