Hey there everyone!
I don’t know about you but it feels like donkeys years since I last did a blog? I think with the summer break and some unexpected absences, with my lovely team covering me…it probably has been quite a minute since you last heard from me. Well, I am here…and alive… and back, so do not worry!
So, what has been going on with me that is worth telling you all about? Well, my beautiful bestie got married! It was on the 12 September at the Walled Garden in Beeston and was just the most perfect day.
The night before her special day all her bridesmaids piled over to hers and we had some lovely Greek food and just chit chatted about the day. The atmosphere was so special- a mix of the jitters as well as absolute pure excitement. She also gave us all our bridesmaid pressies which was out of this world generous and filled with personalised little gifts for each and every one of us. My pressie focus was more on the skincare side of things (confession: I am the worst at skincare/it is non-existent in my life, and I need to sort myself out) and she had also written us all a special little card– there was not one dry eye in the house. We got an early night as our day was starting at 5:30am for hair and makeup.
Of course none of us really slept- probably due to all the emotions and excitement– but I also think it was to do with the fact I was sharing with someone (who is amazing by the way) but in my adult life I essentially don’t want to share a bed with anyone anymore as I just end up being so conscious of them and their wellbeing rather than my own haha. Anyhoo we all woke up bright eyed (well kind of) and bushy tailed ready to get glammed up. The day then essentially consisted of:
- Everyone having the full celeb experience and getting their hair and makeup done
- Cheeky bubbles and constant grazing of yummy food
- Getting our bridesmaid dresses on and everyone figuring out what style they wanted (they were those perfect multiway dresses where essentially you can wear it however you want)- this consisted of a lot of chaos of 7 women running around frantically helping each other get the style just right.
- The reveal– the most special moment seeing my bestie in her magnificent, amazing, perfect, celeb, model dress.
- Sheer panic when we got to the venue and it was absolute torrential rain- she was getting married outside- but it then becoming the most perfect warm weather just in time for her to walk down the aisle.
- The most beautiful ceremony
- The yummiest food, photos, photos, photos
- And of course, DANCING, lots and lots of DANCING!
- There was also this most incredible, scrumptious, drool worthy brownie/cookie/brookie stack that they had instead of a cake – it was filled with like 85 different baked goods that you could just grab. It was SPECTACULAR!
Ultimately, it was just the most special perfect day– not only because it was everything that they deserved but also because I got to see my bestie marry the most amazing man, who I know will have her back and be her rock always. What more could you ask for when seeing your bestie get married hey?
Anywaysss…. I really must get on with the legal side of things- which is probably the thing you have all tuned in to this blog for.
As you know, unless you have been living under a rock, in October 2024 a new legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace came into force under the Workers Protection Act 2023. Well since then the number of calls to ACAS about workplace sexual harassment has jumped by more than a third, 39%, according to new research. Essentially the calls during the same period last year sat around 4,001 but for the same period in 2025 have risen to 5,583.
This increase in calls can only have been spiked due to the new duty on employers that came into force and shows the huge increase in awareness, but also growing uncertainty, or perhaps even concern, about compliance with the duty. Since the new duty was implemented, the general feeling has been that employers have started seeking more guidance (we’ve definitely noticed an uptick and are regularly training on this topic) which could likely be in response to perhaps internal audits, this rising awareness or just wishing to get ahead of this.
We have also seen a lot more focus on sexual harassment in the media in recent years, for example in September 2025, Nestlé dismissed CEO Laurent Freixe following an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate. The investigation into the McDonald’s CEO in November 2023, which prompted allegations from workers relating to sexual harassment and abuse, and the resignation of BP’s CEO in September 2023 following revelations of past personal relationships with colleagues, together with the recent BIGGIE the recent Coldplay kiss cam story, have shone the spotlight on power dynamics and workplace relationships.
Whilst the famous Coldplay kiss cam incident didn’t specially involve allegations of harassment, the way it exploded in the media, exposed personal relationships in the workplace and essentially enhanced public scrutiny of power dynamics and what professional boundaries should look like.
On top of the above we also have the forthcoming, yes I am going to say it, Employment Rights Bill, which will significantly raise the bar for employers when it comes to preventing sexual harassment. From October 2026, it will expand on the statutory duty to take reasonable steps to prevent it by requiring employers to take ‘all reasonable steps’- which will be interpreted with broader scope. It will no longer be about doing something reasonable, but about doing all things that could reasonably be expected. This means that when Tribunals look at cases they will likely interpret ‘all reasonable steps’ as a demand for systematic, sustained and evidenced prevention.
Precept have hashed out our top tips for employers on getting ahead on this in our previous blogs {INSERT LINKS TO THESE HERE] but below I’ve outlined some further little bits of guidance:
- Remember- It’s not just what you say you stand for as an employer, but what you actually do. Posters and policies, whilst a good start, are not enough. You need to be having regular training (Precept provide some great training), values must be embedded and accountability must be visible.
- Under the proposed changes in the Employment Rights Bill, employers will be accountable for harassment by clients, customers, or contractors- even if the perpetrator isn’t on the payroll- businesses in retail, hospitality and healthcare will face heightened exposure so must be sure to be able to prove robust safeguards. This is something that is still relevant now though (not just under the Employment Rights Bill) as how you deal with third party harassment counts towards your compliance with the duty under the Worker Protection Act.
- Historically, sexual harassment policies were often quite generic and rarely enforced unless a complaint came in. With these new duties we are moving from a reactive to an initiative taking position– meaning we have to get in front of this, prepared in all ways. Tailor your sexual harassment policies and link them back to detailed sexual harassment risk assessments (if you don’t have a risk assessment, speak to us because you need one!)
The fact that ACAS calls have increased shows that awareness is growing– and like I say above- perhaps even that you may not be getting it right as an employer just yet. Get ahead of this and get things airtight- Precept are your friendly employment superheroes so reach out if you need some more guidance. Call us on 01332 866610 or email enquiries@precepthr.com.
Speak soon!
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