Most employers are well aware that the Government is embarking on an ambitious series of reforms. These are aimed at rebalancing, in their eyes, the employment relationship. As part of these changes, from 1 st  December 2025, the ACAS Early Conciliation period has been formally extended from six to twelve weeks, following regulations laid before Parliament on 4 th November 2025. This change comes amid rising demand for conciliation services and growing delays - currently ave

There are some important changes to statutory rates of pay that the Government have already announced, to take effect in 2026. National Minimum/Living Wage Rate Increases & Accommodation Rate The National Living Wage is to rise by 4.1%. It will go from £12.21 to £12.71  per hour. At the same time, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates will be increased as follows: from £10.00 to £10.85  per hour for 18 to 20 year olds (an 8.7% increase); from £7.55 to £8.00  per hour for 16 &

Bringing in young workers is brilliant for business – they are full of energy, ideas, and optimism (and occasionally questionable music taste). But here is the catch: the stats show they are also far more likely to get injured on the job. Let's break down what you need to know and what you can actually do to keep them safe, happy, and productive. Why Young Workers Are at Higher Risk? First month = Newbies are four times more likely to get injured in their first month than aft

Overview The Government intends to reduce the unfair dismissal qualifying period from 2 years to 6 months under the Employment Rights Bill. It is also considering removing the caps on unfair dismissal compensation. While the Bill is still progressing, employers should plan on the basis that these changes are likely, although as yet we are not sure when. For SMEs, where Management resources are stretched, this significantly increases the early-stage risk of Tribunal action. An

Virgin Rail uniforms hit the headlines some time ago, as some female employees refused to wear the “skimpy” and “revealing” blouses, claiming passengers would be able to see any dark underwear worn underneath. The official uniform launch was delayed by three weeks in order to allow staff “to have a uniform they felt comfortable in”, and to help achieve this, any concerned employees were offered a £20 clothing voucher to buy 'suitable underwear'. This may have been more of a p

Dear Rosalie We have a woman on maternity leave who has raised a grievance about her treatment. She is unhappy because we recently told her she would not get a pay award as we only had 5 months of the year to assess her performance. She is also unhappy that we have not kept in touch with her over issues like removing her desk and not putting her into a team for bonus purposes. We don’t think we have done anything wrong. Rosalie replies: You are in difficulty, especially with

The symptoms of it can be – in certain circumstances – according to a Glasgow Employment Tribunal. Ms Davies, a Court Officer for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS), had been suffering from extensive medical problems related to the menopause. She was prescribed medication which required to be dissolved in water. On one occasion, after returning to the Court, she noticed that a water jug on her table had been emptied. She could not remember if this contained her m

Sexual harassment is a difficult issue for any workplace, but ignoring it is never an option. Since October last year, it has become a proactive duty for employers to prevent sexual harassment, rather than the previous duty, which was to react to such harassment when it happened. So how do we reckon employers are doing one year on? Well, probably not as well as they could is the short answer. Remember the legislation was introduced by the previous Government, with the aim of

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has set out its priorities for the year ahead – and there are some major changes on the horizon...

It is now estimated that 1 in 7 people within the UK population are probably neurodiverse. Consequently, it is perhaps no surprise that...

If your business has offices, clients, or colleagues in Europe, you will want to be aware of an important change in UK travel rules that...

Dear Rosalie I agreed to let a Manager go with a settlement. Unfortunately, the people responsible for implementation had no experience...

New laws on Sexual Harassment came into force last October, and the Government has threatened to tighten these even further, with the...

An Employment Tribunal has determined that the protected characteristic ‘gender reassignment’ under the Equality Act 2010 includes...

Since the Supreme Court ruling in April that changed the narrative over gender issues, the Courts have not had a chance to consider how...

The True Cost of Getting Right to Work Checks Wrong In July 2025, a fish and chip shop owner was left in “total shock” after being hit...

Everybody tells us that AI is going to replace many of the roles and functions currently carried out by real people. And in some areas...

Dear Rosalie We employed an employee for 20 years. She had been invited to a disciplinary hearing, which was then postponed for three...

The Harvey Weinstein scandal and allegations at Westminster, amongst others, placed the spotlight on sexual harassment reporting.

Commentary The new Employment Rights Bill marks the most significant overhaul of workplace law in a generation, reflecting the...