Harassment Law - What you need to know

Did you know about the new legislation?

Changes in harassment law

Changes to workplace harassment legislation come into effect on 30 October 2026, bringing new responsibilities for employers to help protect their people, For dealerships, where dealing with customers, suppliers and finance partners is part of everyday life, it's worth understanding what's changing and what it means for you.

So, what do you need to know, and what can you do to help make sure your people feel supported and protected at work?

What's changing?

From 30 October 2026, employers will need to take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment at work. The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a duty relating to harassment by third parties, such as customers and clients. Employers may be liable for third-party harassment where they haven't taken all reasonable steps to prevent it.

In practice, this means looking at the situations your team faces and considering what you can do to help prevent harassment from happening in the first place.

Here are a few practical steps to consider:

Review your policies. Make sure your team understands what behaviour is acceptable, how to raise concerns and what happens when an issue is reported.
Think about the risks. Consider the situations your staff deal with, whether that's in the showroom, over the phone, by email or on social media.
Make it easy to speak up. Your team should know who to approach if something happens and feel confident that their concerns will be taken seriously.
Set clear expectations. Make sure customers, suppliers and other business contacts understand the standards of behaviour you expect.
Take concerns seriously. Keep a record of incidents and the steps taken to address them, so you can identify patterns and respond appropriately.

Having a policy in place is a good starting point, but it's also about understanding the risks your team may face day to day. Carrying out a risk assessment can help you identify situations where harassment could occur and decide what practical steps you can take to help prevent it. Every dealership is different, so reviewing these risks alongside your existing policies and procedures can help you identify where any changes may be needed.

You can find more information about the changes on the ACAS website.

How we approach harassment at First Response Finance

First Response Finance Head Office

We've spent almost 30 years building relationships with dealers, customers and suppliers. Good relationships depend on trust, open communication and treating people fairly, and that includes looking after the colleagues who support our partners every day.

That's why we take a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and abuse, both internally and externally. When an incident is reported, we investigate to understand what happened, the nature and severity of the behaviour, and what needs to happen next.

This isn't something new for us. Calls have been recorded for monitoring purposes for many years, and we've previously ended business relationships where behaviour has been unacceptable. We're making our approach clearer because we believe everyone deserves to be treated fairly and with respect at work.

Working together, respectfully

Working together

We know that working in motor finance can sometimes mean having difficult conversations. Applications don't always go to plan, decisions won't always be what someone hoped for, and it's important that dealers can ask questions and challenge our decisions. What matters is how those conversations happen.

Our colleagues are here to help, and we expect everyone to treat each other with the same respect they'd want for their own team. Challenging a decision or raising a concern is part of doing business; directing abusive, threatening or intimidating behaviour at the person you're speaking to is not. This applies to all interactions, whether they're over the phone, by email, on social media or in person.

If an incident involves a third party, we'll consider the circumstances and take appropriate action. Depending on the situation, that could mean a conversation to clarify expectations and agree how things move forward, or a review of the business relationship that could ultimately lead to it ending.

We want dealers to feel comfortable raising questions, discussing decisions and talking things through with us. At the same time, it's important that everyone involved in those conversations feels safe, supported and respected.

Respect works both ways

respect works both ways

We're proud of the relationships we've built with our dealer partners over the years, and we know that good working relationships come from people being able to communicate openly, work through challenges and support one another.

The changes to legislation are a timely reminder of the importance of creating working environments where staff feel safe, supported and respected. That's something every business has a part to play in, and it starts with the everyday conversations and interactions we have with one another.

At First Response Finance, we want to continue building positive, long-lasting relationships with our dealer partners, working together in a way that benefits everyone involved. Looking after the people behind those relationships is an important part of that, and we remain committed to working together.

Why Partner with First Response Finance?

Partner with us

We’re more than just a finance provider. By choosing First Response Finance, you’re partnering with a company that values your success as much as its own. With a commitment to flexibility, transparency, and dealer support, we help you offer competitive solutions to your customers. Whether it’s cars, vans, or motorbikes, we’re here to make vehicle finance accessible and straightforward.

So, if you want to work with one of the best sub-prime finance companies in the UK, First Response Finance is here for you. Our flexible criteria, award-winning service, and consistent recognition from the industry, we are the go-to sub-prime finance company in the motor trade that you can trust.

Partner with us and experience the difference of working with the best subprime finance lenders, dedicated to helping you and your dealership get more deals over the line. If you don’t currently work with First Response Finance and would like to discuss how we can help you and your sub-prime customers, click the relevant button below, and Brad from our team will be in touch to discuss how we can help you sell more cars on finance.

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