Dawn's Digest (Oct-26) - Your workplace doesn't end when people go home
Dawn's Digest | October 2026A major UK workplace law change takes effect on 30 October. Are you ready?  IN THIS EDITION: 41% of employers unaware of the new UK harassment laws | Third-party harassment explained | What recent tribunals tell us about culture | Why AI isn't accountability | Does your reality match your policy? A statistic stopped me in my tracks this month. New Acas research found that 41% of UK employers are unaware of the forthcoming changes to UK sexual harassment law. From 30 October 2026, UK employers will be expected to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. But there's another part that many organisations still haven't fully appreciated - your responsibility doesn't stop with your employees. Customers. Clients. Suppliers. Contractors. Consultants. Service users. Visitors. Event attendees. Members of the public. Online interactions. All now form part of the workplace risk conversation. The question is no longer "Do we have a policy?" but: "Can we demonstrate that we understand our risks and have taken meaningful action to manage them?" Because there is a huge difference between having a policy and having a culture where that policy is actually lived. And that's the theme running through this month's Digest.
AROUND THE WORLDWhat leaders should know this monthUK | 41% aren't ready. Acas research found that 41% of employers are unaware of the strengthened sexual harassment duty coming into force on 30 October. EA view: Preparation beats compliance panic. Organisations that start now will be in a much stronger position than those scrambling to react later. USA | $2.3 million harassment settlement. The EEOC announced a $2.3 million resolution with Ford Motor Company following allegations of race and national-origin harassment at a Buffalo stamping plant. EA view: Culture isn't defined by what happens in the boardroom. It's defined by what employees experience every day, especially in places leaders rarely see. Understanding employee experience matters as much as setting expectations. USA | Who can people actually report to? The EEOC also announced a settlement involving allegations of sexual harassment at a home-care provider and highlighted the importance of effective reporting routes when employees experience inappropiate behaviour. EA view: A reporting process only works if people feel able to use it. If the manager is the problem, employees need somewhere else to go. Multiple routes to speak up are essential. AUSTRALIA | Prevention remains the focus. Australia continues its preventative approach through the Respect@Work framework, which requires organisations to take proactive steps to prevent sexual harassment. EA View: The global direction of travel is clear. Regulators increasingly want to see prevention, not simply a good investigation after something has gone wrong. EU | New workplace risks emerging. European policymakers continue examining issues including AI, algorithmic management, psychosocial risks, employee monitoring and workplace harassment as interconnected risks. EA View: Technology is changing quickly and with it comes new risks. The challenge for employers remains the same: understanding what work actually feels like for their people. UK | Third-party harassment arrives on 30 October. Employers will need to consider risks arising from customers, clients, contractors, service users, visitors and others interacting with their workforce. EA View: Your workplace just got bigger. Risk doesn't stop with employees, and neither should prevention. CASES & CONSEQUENCESWhat the tribunals are telling usUK | KHANS SOLICITORS v KAISER. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) considered issues relating to disability discrimination, harassment and aggravated damages. EA view: What happens after someone speaks up can be every bit as revealing as the original incident. Values are tested when doing the right thing becomes uncomfortable. UK | HANCOX v SUTHERLAND & OTHERS. An EAT appeal attracted attention after a 300-page skeleton argument was reportedly generated using ChatGPT. The case also involved issues connected to a LinkedIn campaign, highlighting the growing relationship between online behaviour and workplace disputes. EA view: AI can assist but it cannot be accountable. Human judgement still matters. UK | HARKINS v MARKS & SPENCER. The EAT considered disability discrimination and harassment issues involving an employee with depression and anxiety, including what the employer knew or should have known. EA view: Managers don't need medical expertise. They need to notice when something changes and start a conversation. UK | NEXT RETAIL v THANDI & OTHERS. The long-running equal pay litigation involving retail and warehouse workers continues through the appellate courts.. EA view: Intent and impact are not the same thing. If you don't understand your pay data, someone else eventually will. COMING UPDates to have on your radar1 October2026: Employment Tribunal time limits have doubled. Most claim time limits increased from three months to six months, giving employees longer to bring claims and potentially increasing organisational exposure. Leadership question: How confident are we that unresolved issues are being addressed before they escalate? 30 October 2026: Stronger UK harassment prevention duty. Employers are due to be required to take "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment. Leadership question: What evidence demonstrates prevention in practice rather than policy on paper? 30 October 2026: Online behaviour matters too. Acas guidance makes clear that harassment can occur online as well as face-to-face. Social media, messaging platforms and digital communications all form part of the modern workplace. Leadership question: Does our social media policy reflect how our people actually communicate in 2026? 30 October 2026: Third-party harassment becomes a leadership issue. Customers, clients, contractors, suppliers, service users, visitors... all form part of the risk conversation. Employers should be considering where these interactions occur and how risks are being managed. Leadership question: Have we identified where our highest-risk interactions take place? EA PRODUCT FEATUREIs your social media presence supporting your duty to prevent harassment?So... you've got a social media policy. It probably sits alongside your code of conduct, dignity at work policy and disciplinary procedure. But here's the uncomfortable question: Does anybody know whether it actually reflects how people communicate today? LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Teams chats, private messages, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook... The workplace is increasingly digital, and workplace conduct increasingly follows it. The question isn't whether a policy exists. It's whether it reflects reality. This is the gap our Social Media Audit & Policy Review has been designed to address. WHAT WE EXPLORE
WHAT IT REVEALS
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
Two things are worth saying plainly because they matter under the new legislation. The first is visibility. Many organisations have social media policies that were written when the biggest concern was someone posting a negative comment about the company online. Today's workplace is increasingly digital so the risks now look very different. The second is evidence. A social media policy sitting unread on an intranet isn't evidence of prevention. The strongest organisations will know not only what their policy says, but whether it is understood and operating in practice. Want to review your social media risk?Get in touch to discuss the EA Inclusion Social Media Audit & Policy Review. THREE QUESTIONS FOR LEADERSWhat should your leadership team discuss?
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