From 30 October 2026, you must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment at work, including by customers and clients. We train every member of staff, give them a way to speak up that doesn’t go through their manager, and keep the records that show what you did.
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In practice, the duty means a policy, a risk assessment, training refreshed regularly, a way to report harassment, and telling customers how staff must be treated. Here’s each part, and what we put in place.
All reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, from 30 October 2026
You have to act before anything happens, not just respond to complaints. When a sexual harassment claim succeeds and you breached the duty, a tribunal must consider adding up to 25% to the award.
A policy, a risk assessment, training and a way to speak up, with a record of each step.
Harassment by customers and clients
You’re also liable when customers, clients or contractors harass your staff over age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, unless you took all reasonable steps.
A notice telling customers how staff must be treated, a risk assessment that covers them, and an incident record if it happens.
Training, refreshed regularly
Regular training for all staff, managers included, is one of the recommended steps.
An online course for every member of staff, a module for managers, and a refresher every year.
A way to report it
Staff should be able to report anonymously, and to someone other than their line manager.
The speak-up channel in the staff app goes to your HR expert at Maravier, not to their manager.
Reports can count as whistleblowing
Since 6 April 2026, a report of sexual harassment can count as whistleblowing, which protects the person who makes it.
Your HR expert handles every concern, with a confidential route when it’s about you.
A short online course in the staff app, with a check at the end. Owners and managers also get a module on handling complaints.
First 2 weeks
They get the course through their starter link. Mirith, our assistant, chases anyone who hasn’t finished within 2 weeks, and tells you.
Every year
A refresher for every member of staff each year, with the reminders sent for you.
New managers
Anyone who becomes a manager gets the module on handling complaints.
We keep a completion record for every person: who finished which course, and when. If you ever need to show the steps you took, that’s the evidence.
The course, the manager module and the yearly refreshers are included in your plan, for every member of staff.
Staff raise a concern in the app about harassment or bullying, discrimination, health and safety, or wrongdoing at work. It goes to your HR expert at Maravier, not to their manager.
When a case needs someone independent, such as harassment, discrimination or whistleblowing, or it involves you or your only manager, an independent investigation costs £995 + VAT at 20% (£1,194 including VAT). How it works
Each one comes from an approved template, filled in for your business.
Your equality, dignity at work and harassment policy, including harassment by customers and clients. It comes with your staff handbook: in your second month, or straight away if you pay yearly.
The risks in your workplace, such as lone working and late shifts, the steps you’ll take, and a date to review them.
A respect-at-work survey, yearly or every 6 months. Results only show when 5 or more people reply, so no one can be identified, and they feed your risk assessment.
Tells customers and clients how your staff must be treated: a notice for your premises or website, a clause in your terms of business, or both. Worded for hospitality, shops, salons and clinics.
For when a customer or client harasses one of your staff: what happened, and the steps you took.
Acknowledgements, interim steps, replies to the person who raised a concern, and outcome letters, each checked by your HR expert.
The duty sits with you, the employer. We do the work that shows you met it.
Mirith keeps the training going
Mirith assigns the course and chases anyone who hasn’t done it.
Every completion is recorded, with the date.
Your HR expert handles concerns
Every concern and complaint comes to them, not to the manager.
They reply by 5pm if it reaches them by 3pm on a working day, and otherwise by noon the next working day.
You act on it
The steps the law expects of an employer stay with you.
Every decision is recorded as yours, with the advice you were given.
You make the final call; we do everything else. We’d rather stop the claim than win it, and prevention is how.
Yes. Every employer has the duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, whatever its size.
Not from the app, if they hide their name. Maravier still sees it, so your HR expert can follow up with them. Nothing from their messages comes to you automatically: your HR expert decides what you need to know to deal with it.
It follows a confidential route to your HR expert, who can recommend an independent investigation for £995 + VAT at 20% (£1,194 including VAT). The investigator is never your HR expert, and you get the report unedited, even when it finds against you.
Yes. The course, the manager module and the yearly refreshers are included in your plan for every member of staff, new starters too.
No. We act for you, the employer, and staff are told so. They can get free, independent advice from Acas.
Sources
Checked against the law on 8 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
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