Third Party Harassment October 2026: New UK Rules

Quick answer: From 30 October 2026, employers in England, Scotland and Wales must take all reasonable steps to stop customers, clients, patients and other outsiders harassing their staff. If they fail and harassment linked to a protected characteristic happens, an employee can bring a standalone employment tribunal claim, even after a single incident. Northern Ireland is not covered.

Key takeaways

The new third party harassment rules start on 30 October 2026 under the Employment Rights Act 2025, which amends the Equality Act 2010.
A third party is anyone who is not your employer or a colleague, such as a customer, client, patient, contractor or member of the public, whether in person or online.
One incident is enough for a claim; there is no need to show a pattern of earlier harassment.
Employers are liable unless they took all reasonable steps, so missing even one reasonable step is likely to cause them problems.
The change applies in England, Scotland and Wales but not in Northern Ireland, where equality law is devolved.

Last updated: 8 October 2026

Third party harassment October 2026 is the date to note if you deal with the public at work. On 30 October 2026, a new part of the Employment Rights Act 2025 switches on, making employers in Great Britain answerable when people who do not work for them, such as shoppers, clients, patients or contractors, harass their staff. For shop assistants, bar and hotel staff, hospital workers and anyone else in a customer-facing role, this is a significant change aimed at frontline roles.

Third party harassment October 2026: what changes?

From 30 October 2026, your employer must not "permit" a third party to harass you, and it will be treated as permitting it if it failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent it. Until now, employers could be liable for harassment by colleagues but there was very little legal route for abuse coming from outsiders.

The rules work by amending the Equality Act 2010. Alongside them, the existing duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment, in force since October 2024 under the Worker Protection Act 2023, is strengthened from "reasonable steps" to "all reasonable steps".

Start date: 30 October 2026
Law: Employment Rights Act 2025, amending the Equality Act 2010
Where: England, Scotland and Wales (not Northern Ireland)
Who is protected: employees harassed in the course of their work
What you need to do: nothing; the protection applies automatically

Who counts as a third party at work?

A third party is anyone you come into contact with through your job who is not your employer or one of its employees. Guidance from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) and employment lawyers points to a wide range of people:

customers and clients
service users, such as patients in a hospital or pupils in a school
self-employed consultants, contractors and tradespeople
suppliers and visitors
people you meet at conferences or events
members of the public in shared spaces

Harassment can count whether it happens face to face or online. Law firm DLA Piper notes it could also cover staff of a different company sharing the same office building.

What types of harassment are covered?

The protection covers harassment related to most protected characteristics, not only sexual harassment. The government's business.gov.uk guidance says it covers all harassment under the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment, with two exceptions. Law firms Hill Dickinson and DLA Piper list the covered characteristics as:

sex
race
age
disability
sexual orientation
religion or belief
gender reassignment

The two protected characteristics left out are pregnancy and maternity, and marriage and civil partnership. Unwanted treatment because someone submitted to, or rejected, sexual harassment is also covered.

Do you need to be harassed more than once to make a claim?

No. A single incident can be enough. This is a key difference from the earlier version of the rule, which ran from 2010 until it was repealed in 2013 and only applied after harassment had happened on at least two previous occasions.

Failing to prevent third party harassment will also be a standalone claim. That means an employee can take the employer to an employment tribunal over it and usually seek compensation, just as with other harassment or discrimination complaints.

What does "all reasonable steps" mean for employers?

It means doing everything that is reasonable for that particular organisation, given its size, sector and the type of work involved. Acas puts it plainly: "Taking all reasonable steps means doing what is possible with the available resources."

Because the test is "all" reasonable steps, Hill Dickinson warns that an employer could fail if there was just one sensible measure it did not put in place. Steps suggested by Acas include:

assessing the risk of harassment by outsiders and acting to reduce it
keeping a record of incidents and what was done about them
having a written policy that covers abuse from customers and other third parties
training staff in personal safety and de-escalation
adding behaviour rules to customer, client and supplier terms
warning customers of the consequences, for example through posters or emails

In higher-risk settings, the list may extend to more security staff, personal alarms and body-worn or CCTV cameras. Acas also advises employers to note down why they decided a step was not reasonable for them. DLA Piper adds that, in some cases, employers may need to bar customers or end a business relationship.

Separate regulations setting out reasonable steps for preventing sexual harassment are not due until 2027. For third party harassment, current guidance comes from Acas, with updated guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) expected.

Which UK jobs are most affected?

Customer-facing and frontline roles carry the greatest risk, and these are the workers the change is mainly designed to protect. Examples drawn from Acas guidance and law firm commentary include:

Retail: convenience-store staff on late or weekend shifts
Hospitality: nightclub staff and others serving the public
Health: hospital staff dealing with patients
Education: school staff dealing with pupils
Shared workplaces: staff working alongside other companies' employees in shared or communal offices

What should you do if a customer harasses you at work?

Report it to your employer through its normal process straight away and keep your own record. A clear written account helps your employer act and protects your position if you later need to complain formally.

Write down what happened, when, where, who was involved and any witnesses.
Report it to your manager or HR using the route in your staff handbook.
Keep copies of messages, emails or online comments if the abuse was digital.
If nothing is done, raise a formal grievance in writing.
Contact Acas for advice, or speak to your trade union if you have one.

Under the government's timetable, sexual harassment has also been expressly listed as a whistleblowing "qualifying disclosure" from April 2026, which removes doubt that reporting it is protected.

Common mistakes to avoid

Both workers and employers can trip up on how the new rules work. The most frequent misunderstandings are:

Thinking it is "part of the job": once the rules are in force, harassment from the public linked to a protected characteristic is something your employer must take all reasonable steps to prevent.
Assuming it only covers sexual harassment: racist, homophobic, ageist or disability-related abuse from outsiders is covered too.
Waiting for a pattern: one incident can be enough.
Forgetting Northern Ireland: these changes do not apply there, so staff working in Belfast or elsewhere in Northern Ireland should check local rules.
Not reporting: if your employer does not know about a risk, it is harder for it to act, and harder for you to show it failed to.

What this means for you

If you work with the public anywhere in England, Scotland or Wales, you gain a clear legal right from 30 October 2026 to expect your employer to take all reasonable steps against sexual harassment, or harassment linked to a protected characteristic, by people outside the organisation. Under the third party harassment October 2026 rules, employers have just over three weeks to update policies, risk assessments and training. Workers should know how to report incidents and keep good records.

Related reading on Jobsiz: Employment Tribunal Time Limits: New 6-Month Rule (UK), Right to Work Checks October 2026: New UK Rules and Statutory Sick Pay 2026: Rates, Day-One Rules, Daily Pay.

Frequently asked questions

When does the third party harassment law start in the UK?

It starts on 30 October 2026. The rule comes from the Employment Rights Act 2025 and applies in England, Scotland and Wales.

Does the third party harassment rule apply in Northern Ireland?

No. Equality and discrimination law is devolved in Northern Ireland, so these changes do not apply there. Workers in Northern Ireland should check Northern Ireland's own equality law.

Can I make a claim after one incident of harassment by a customer?

Yes. There is no need to show repeated harassment. If your employer had not taken all reasonable steps to prevent it, a single incident can support an employment tribunal claim.

Is my employer liable if a customer harasses me?

Your employer can be liable from 30 October 2026 if the harassment happened in the course of your work and the employer failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent it. If it can show it took every reasonable step, it may have a defence.

What counts as all reasonable steps to prevent harassment?

It depends on the organisation's size, sector and work. Acas suggests risk assessments, incident records, a clear policy, staff training, behaviour rules in customer terms and, in higher-risk settings, extra security or alarms.

Does third party harassment include online abuse?

Yes. Acas guidance says harassment by a third party can happen online as well as face to face. Online harassment might include messages, emails or comments linked to your work.

Sources

This article was compiled by Jobsiz from the sources listed above, with AI-assisted writing and automated fact-checking. Published 8 October 2026. We update stories when new verified information becomes available.

Third Party Harassment October 2026: What UK Workers Need to Know