Section 40 Employees and applicants: harassment

England, Wales and Scotland

(1)

An employer (A) must not, in relation to employment by A, harass a person (B)—

(a)

who is an employee of A's;

(b)

who has applied to A for employment.

F1(1A)

An employer (A) must not permit a third party to harass a person (B) who is an employee of A.

(1B)

For the purposes of subsection (1A), A permits a third party to harass B only if—

(a)

the third party harasses B in the course of B’s employment by A, and

(b)

A failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent the third party from doing so.

(1C)

In this section “third party” means a person other than—

(a)

A, or

(b)

an employee of A.

F2(2)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Annotations

F1: S. 40(1A)-(1C) inserted (30.10.2026) by Employment Rights Act 2025 (c. 36), ss. 21, 159(3); S.I. 2026/1065, reg. 3(b)
F2: S. 40(2)-(4) omitted (1.10.2013) by virtue of Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (c. 24), ss. 65, 103(3); S.I. 2013/2227, art. 2(c) (with art. 4)

C1: Pt. 5 excluded by 2005 c. 4, s. 63(4) (as inserted (15.7.2013) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 13 para. 10(3); S.I. 2013/1725, art. 2(g))
C2: Pt. 5 excluded by 2005 c. 4, s. 27(5A)(b) (as inserted (15.7.2013) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 13 para. 9; S.I. 2013/1725, art. 2(g))
C3: Pt. 5 excluded (coming into force in accordance with reg. 2(1) of the commencing S.I.) by Wales Act 2017 (c. 4), s. 71(4), Sch. 5 para. 5(4) (with Sch. 7 paras. 1, 6); S.I. 2017/351, reg. 2(2) [Editorial note: S.I. 2017/1282 was made under 2017 c. 4, Sch. 5 para. 7(1) and comes into force on 12.12.2017]
C4: Pt. 5 restricted (S.) (29.5.2020) by Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018 (asp 4), ss. 11(2), 13; S.S.I. 2020/119, reg. 2
C5: Pt. 5 applied (1.8.2011) by the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/1771), regs. 3-5