In the final part of her conversation with Nic Elliott, Director and Head of Employment Law at Actons Solicitors, Anna moves into some of the most sensitive and fast-moving areas of employment law that managers are navigating right now.

Nic breaks down the current legal position on sexual harassment, including the duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent it, and the incoming third-party harassment provisions that will extend liability to the behaviour of customers, clients, and contractors. He explains why a risk assessment is the foundation of any credible approach, and shares how his own organisation went about identifying where the risks actually sit.

The conversation turns to menopause, where Nic draws on personal experience to bring the legal picture to life. He is clear on what managers should and should not do, and why the answer to the question of how a male manager raises menopause with a female colleague is simply: you do not. What you do instead is ask if they are okay, whether there is anything you can do to help, and create the conditions where someone feels safe enough to tell you what is going on.

Anna and Nic also cover the new Fair Work Agency, which came into force in April 2026 combining several existing government bodies, and what employers need to know about its powers around holiday pay, sick pay, and national minimum wage compliance.

The episode closes on the Employment Rights Act more broadly, and why Nic's advice to managers is straightforward: seek out training, ask for it if it is not being offered, and do not wait for the detail to be handed to you.

Find out more about Nic's work at actons.co.uk

Connect with Anna:

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The People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk