Commentators warn decrease may not reflect fewer incidents as Employment Rights Act changes take effect in October
16 September 2026
Workplace harassment enquiries to Acas, the independent public body that resolves employment disputes, have fallen this year, analysis has found.
The conciliation service received 8,871 helpline enquiries relating to bullying and harassment between January and June 2026, down 3.7 per cent from 9,213 during the same period in 2025.
The figures, obtained by law firm Irwin Mitchell through a freedom of information request on bullying/harassment and sexual harassment helpline enquiries from Q1 2025 to Q2 2026, showed that it still received almost 1,500 bullying and harassment enquiries a month on average.
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Sexual harassment enquiries remained virtually unchanged at 1,808 recorded during the first half of 2026, compared with 1,806 in the same period last year.
Mark Kaye, employment partner at Mishcon de Reya, said the figures did not “necessarily mean that there has been a fall in bullying and harassment” as workers could be seeking advice directly from solicitors or trade unions.
“Employers shouldn’t read this as a sign that the problem is going away. The figures show there are still a significant number of employees who felt they needed external advice and support,” Kaye...
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