Preloaded UK policy

Anti-Harassment & Bullying Policy template

Covers the new preventative duty (Worker Protection Act, Oct 2024) including third-party harassment.

Legal basis
  • Equality Act 2010 s.26
  • Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act) Act 2023 — in force 26 Oct 2024
Last reviewed October 2024. Guidance, not legal advice.

What the policy covers

  1. 1. POLICY STATEMENT
    your company is committed to creating a workplace free from harassment, bullying and victimisation.
  2. Sexual Harassment (Equality Act 2010, s.26(2))
    Unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of violating an individual's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive en
  3. Harassment Related to a Protected Characteristic
    Unwanted conduct related to age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation that violates dignity or creates the environment described abo
  4. Bullying
    Behaviour that is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting, or an abuse of power, that undermines, humiliates, denigrates or injures a person.
  5. Victimisation
    Subjecting someone to a detriment because they have made or supported a complaint under this policy.
  6. 3. THE PREVENTATIVE DUTY (FROM 26 OCTOBER 2024)
    The Worker Protection Act 2023 places a legal duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers.
  7. 4. THIRD-PARTY HARASSMENT
    Harassment by customers, clients, contractors or members of the public is unacceptable and will be treated with the same seriousness as harassment by a colleague.
  8. 6. HOW TO REPORT
    Employees experiencing or witnessing harassment or bullying should:
  9. 8. PROTECTION FROM VICTIMISATION
    Any employee who raises a genuine complaint of harassment or bullying, or who supports a colleague in doing so, will not be subjected to any form of detriment.
  10. 9. REVIEW
    This policy will be reviewed annually and following any legislative update.

Who needs it

Any UK employer with more than a handful of staff. These are the policies a tribunal looks for when something has gone wrong between people.

Questions people ask

Is a anti-harassment & bullying policy a legal requirement?

It rests on Equality Act 2010 s.26 and Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act) Act 2023 — in force 26 Oct 2024. Some policies must be written down once a business reaches a certain size or does certain work; others are simply how a tribunal, an inspector or a client's auditor expects to see that you have thought about it. A clear, dated, signed policy is the evidence either way. Guidance, not legal advice.

Can I change it to suit how we work?

Yes. Inside Work-Lynx it is a starting point: put your company name in, adjust the arrangements to what you actually do, set the review date and publish it. Staff read and acknowledge it on their phones, and you can see who has not.

Is it up to date?

Last reviewed October 2024. The pack is updated when the law moves, and every policy carries a review date so it does not quietly go stale.

How do I get it?

It is preloaded in Work-Lynx with the other 48 UK policies. Work-Lynx is £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee, 14 days free, no card, and what you see on the pricing page is the bill.

Who is it for?

Any UK employer with more than a handful of staff. These are the policies a tribunal looks for when something has gone wrong between people.

All 49 UK policies, £2.50 a month

This policy and 48 others are already in Work-Lynx, alongside GPS clock-in, rotas, timesheets, leave and Employ AI for UK employment law. £2.50 base plus £1 per employee a month. 14 days free, no card, no sales call.

Start free trial