Harassment at work

2. Harassment related to protected characteristics

One type of harassment is harassment related to protected characteristics.

This means the unwanted behaviour is related to any of the following protected characteristics:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

This applies when someone is being harassed because they:

• have the protected characteristic
• are thought to have the protected characteristic even when they do not
• have a connection with someone who has the protected characteristic

It also applies when someone witnesses harassment relating to the protected characteristic.

What the law does not cover

The law on harassment does not cover the protected characteristics of:

• marriage and civil partnership – but less favourable treatment because of this might be discrimination
• pregnancy and maternity – but unfavourable treatment because of this might be discrimination

If someone who's pregnant or on maternity leave experiences unwanted behaviour, this could be harassment related to sex. An example of this could be offensive comments about pregnant women.

What harassment related to protected characteristics looks like

Both one-off incidents and repeated behaviour can be harassment.

Harassment can be in:

• written communication, including online communication
• verbal comments
• jokes
• gestures
• physical behaviour

Example of harassment related to sexual orientation

Quinn is gay and has not told people at work. When out with their partner one evening, Quinn runs into someone from work. They tell the rest of the team that Quinn is gay. After this, people in the team start ignoring what Quinn says in daily team meetings. Quinn finds this humiliating and uncomfortable. This behaviour is likely to be harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Example of harassment related to sex

Taylor is an apprentice and is the only man in a team of women. Taylor is expected to make drinks for everyone and do the washing up. Several people make comments that "it's nice to see a man doing the chores for once". This becomes a common joke in the team. Taylor feels disrespected and intimidated. This behaviour is likely to be harassment on the grounds of sex.

More examples of harassment related to a protected characteristic

Find more examples of harassment related to a protected characteristic in our advice on:

• age discrimination
• disability discrimination
• gender reassignment discrimination
• race discrimination
• religion or belief discrimination
• sex discrimination
• sexual orientation discrimination

Harassment by other workers and third parties

Harassment can come from:

• other workers at the same employer
• third parties

Harassment by another worker

If a worker is harassed by another worker, the employer could be responsible. 

This is unless the employer has taken 'all reasonable steps' to prevent harassment.

Harassment by a third party

On 30 October 2026, the Employment Rights Act strengthened the law on harassment. Employers could be liable if the harassment is from a third party. This is unless they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent it.

A third party could be anyone a worker comes across through work. A third party can be someone who does not work for the same organisation.

This could include:

• customers
• clients
• service users, for example, school students or healthcare patients
• self-employed consultants, contractors or tradespeople
• people at conferences or events
• other members of the public, for example, in shared spaces

Harassment in the course of employment

Employers could be responsible for harassment by other workers or third parties. This is if it takes place 'in the course of employment'.

This does not mean just in the main workplace.

'In the course of their employment' might include things like:

• working from home
• travelling for work
• meeting with customers and clients in other locations
• going on an external training course
• attending an office party

Get more advice and support

You can find out more about what discrimination is and how it is covered by the law.

Acas also provides:

• free e-learning on bullying and harassment
• training on bullying and harassment
• tailored support for your organisation

3. Other types of harassment

The Equality Act 2010 also protects workers from:

• sexual harassment
• less favourable treatment as a result of harassment

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature.

This type of harassment does not need to be related to a protected characteristic.

For example, someone thinks they've been sexually harassed. They do not need to show it was because of their sex or sexual orientation.

Find out more about sexual harassment

Less favourable treatment as a result of harassment

Sometimes someone is treated less favourably because of how they responded to previous harassment.

It can apply whether the person rejected or accepted the previous harassment. Accepting harassment can sometimes be called 'submitting to' the harassment.

It happens when the person is treated less favourably than if they had responded in a different way.

The previous harassment must have been either:

• sexual harassment
• harassment related to sex
• harassment related to gender reassignment

Example of less favourable treatment because of harassment

Jade receives several sexual advances from their manager, but rejects them. A few weeks later at Jade's annual performance review, the manager gives them a poor performance score. Jade is regularly praised by others for their hard work. This could be harassment if Jade's poor performance score is because they rejected the manager's advances.

4. Making and handling complaints

If someone has experienced or witnessed harassment at work, they can make a complaint to their employer. The employer should take it seriously and look into it as soon as possible.

Harassment can be very distressing. It can affect someone's mental health and wellbeing.

Employers should make sure that:

• workers know how to report harassment
• workers are able to report harassment without involving their immediate managers
• anyone who's experienced or witnessed harassment feels safe, protected and supported
• anyone accused of harassment is treated in an impartial and fair way

If you've experienced harassment

If you believe you've experienced harassment, you can make a complaint to your employer.

You should make a complaint as soon as possible. But if you make a complaint a long time after an incident has taken place, your employer should still take it seriously.

Find out what to do if you've been discriminated against

Witnessing harassment

If you think someone at work is being harassed, there are actions you can take.

This could include:

• trying to stop it happening if you feel it's safe
• supporting people
• giving evidence

Anyone can report a harassment issue they've seen or heard at work, even if it's not directed at them.

Witnessing harassment might also affect you personally. In some circumstances, you could make a harassment complaint yourself.

Find out more about witnessing discrimination

Handling a harassment complaint

If you're an employer or manager, you should look into any discrimination or harassment complaint in a way that's fair and sensitive to:

• the person who made the complaint
• anyone who witnessed it
• anyone accused of discrimination

Find out how to handle a discrimination complaint

5. Preventing harassment

All employers should take steps to prevent harassment at work.

As an employer, you should:

• aim for a culture where everyone knows that harassment is not acceptable
• recognise and promote the benefits of a diverse and inclusive organisation

You can find out more about improving equality, diversity and inclusion.

From 30 October 2026, employers are liable for harassment from third parties as well as from other workers. This is unless they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent it.

Taking all reasonable steps to prevent harassment

Employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent workers from experiencing harassment. This does not just apply to the main workplace. It applies 'in the course of their employment'.

'In the course of their employment' might include things like:

• working from home
• travelling for work
• meeting with customers and clients in other locations
• going on an external training course
• attending an office party

The steps employers take will likely depend on the organisation. For example:

• its size
• the sector
• the kind of work the workers do

Taking all reasonable steps means doing what is possible with the available resources. Some steps will not be possible for every organisation.

It is a good idea for employers to record why they have not taken steps they've decided are not reasonable. This could include if they have taken a reasonable step for only some workers. For example, using body-worn cameras for teams working in vulnerable positions.

Steps to prevent harassment from workers

Steps could include:

• regularly assessing risks for harassment and taking action to avoid or reduce those risks
• monitoring and recording incidents and actions taken
• having a policy that sets out how to deal with harassment, for example a bullying and harassment policy

Many ways to prevent harassment are the same as preventing all discrimination. You can find out more in our advice on preventing discrimination.

Steps to prevent third-party harassment

Steps could include:

• training workers, for example in staff safety and de-escalation
• reviewing client, customer and supplier contracts or terms and conditions to make sure they include relevant parts of the policy
• making sure that individual customer transactions, like hotel room bookings, include up-to-date terms and conditions
• telling customers the consequences of harassing workers, for example on posters or in emails
• regularly checking in with people working from home, where inappropriate behaviour might be less obvious

Some environments might have a higher risk for harassment. For example, night clubs. For these environments, steps are more likely to include:

• making sure there are appropriate numbers of workers, for example, security staff
• having appropriate safety equipment, for example personal alarms
• installing body-worn or security cameras for some teams or areas

Preventing sexual harassment

From 30 October 2026, an employer will need to show they've taken 'all reasonable steps' to prevent sexual harassment of their workers. This is in addition to taking all reasonable steps to prevent harassment by third parties.

Find out more about preventing sexual harassment

Having a policy

Employers must follow a full and fair procedure for handling harassment complaints. This must be in line with the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures.

They might want to develop specific policies for their organisation, for example:

• a bullying, discrimination and harassment policy – including how they will handle complaints
• an equality, diversity and inclusion policy

If they decide to create a specific equality, diversity and inclusion policy, they should do this in consultation with either:

• a recognised trade union
• other employee representatives, if they do not have a recognised trade union

It's important that all policies match up. Employers should check all relevant policies to make sure they do not discriminate against anyone.

Get more advice and support

Find out more about how to prevent discrimination

Acas also offers free e-learning on bullying and harassment.

You can find more detailed legal guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC):

• EHRC technical guidance on harassment at work
• Employment: Statutory Code of Practice from EHRC