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Inclusion Week starts Monday. Four in ten bosses haven't heard of the law landing in seven weeks

ended 13. September 2026

National Inclusion Week starts on Monday, with the theme "Build Trust. Navigate Change." (https://www.inclusiveemployers.co.uk/national-inclusion-week/). The change most small firms haven't clocked is the one that matters.

From 30 October, employers must take "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment, not just "reasonable steps". They'll also be liable when staff are harassed by customers or the public, unless they can show they did everything reasonable to stop it.

ACAS polled 1,050 senior decision-makers and found 41 per cent didn't know the duty was changing (https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1969021/two-five-employers-unaware-new-sexual-harassment-duties-survey-finds). VinciWorks found 34 per cent of workplaces have never done a harassment risk assessment. And regulations defining "all reasonable steps" aren't expected until 2027/28 at the earliest (https://www.tlt.com/insights-and-events/insight/october-2026-harassment-reforms-why-employers-need-to-move-from-compliance-to-evidence).

Kate Underwood of Kate Underwood HR & Training said: "I spend my weekends hunting down independent coffee shops, and I've lost count of the times I've watched a young barista smile through a regular's 'banter' while the owner pretends not to hear. From 30 October, pretending not to hear gets expensive. And no, a rainbow lanyard for Inclusion Week doesn't count as all reasonable steps. Do a risk assessment. Tell your staff who to go to. And if a customer crosses the line, be brave enough to lose his £4.20 flat white to keep a good member of staff."

Over to you:

  • Should a pub landlord be liable when a punter harasses the bar staff? Fair, or madness?
  • "All reasonable steps" with no rulebook until 2028. Sensible flexibility, or setting small firms up to fail?
  • Is the customer always right, or should small firms be banning the ones who cross the line?
  • Inclusion Week: does it mean anything to a ten-person business, or is it a big corporate calendar event?
  • What's one thing a small employer can do before 30 October that actually works?

3 responses from the Newspage community

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Pro
Tony SanchezVerified
Founder at Bridging Loan Directory
As a small business owner, I don’t think size changes the basic responsibility to protect staff. If a customer harasses an employee and the owner knowingly ignores it, it is hard to argue that the customer is always right.

The difficulty is being told to take “all reasonable steps” without a clear, practical standard. Large employers have HR and legal teams; many small firms do not. They need plain-English guidance before the duty takes effect, not clarification afterwards.

At a minimum, I would want staff to know how to report a concern, what will happen next and that the business will support them if a customer crosses the line. A short risk assessment and a written process are more meaningful than simply marking Inclusion Week. Inclusion only matters if it influences what a business does when a real situation arises.
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Pro
Adrian HancockVerified
CEO at Clear VC
"I think it's a brilliant idea, as there are many young people who need an opportunity to develop and get a head start. Yes, they're not getting a wage, but they're getting the benefits and are no worse off (other than perhaps travel expenses). Is there any reason small businesses can't do this too, though, rather than just large organisations? One of the dangers is that large organisations would fill jobs they were going to fill anyway, so I think it should be offered to the SME market and not just the big chains. If big chains do it, they should demonstrate what their employment plans were for the previous 12 months rather than just taking advantage.
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Kelly SmallcombeVerified
Fractional Chief People Officer at Meliorem HR Consultancy
The real problem isn't the law, it's the vacuum: all reasonable steps with no statutory guidance until 2027/28 means small firms are marking their own homework and hoping the examiner agrees later. This is another hit at small businesses who will think they are doing the right thing, but will only find out the hard way they haven't.

Before 30th October, the one thing that actually works is a documented risk assessment, thirty minutes, not a policy nobody reads. Evidence of effort is the only defence you will have.