Employment Law and Labour Law

The Employment Rights Act 2025 has been described as the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. It contains a number of reforms, the breadth and complexity of which will have a significant impact on employers.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 promised an end to one-sided flexibility in the labour market, but it left the hardest questions unanswered. How many hours is too few before a worker deserves a guaranteed offer? What counts as fair notice of a shift? Those questions, and dozens like them, are now the subject of a government consultation that opened on 2nd June 2026 and runs until 25th August 2026.

The unfair dismissal regime is undergoing significant changes from 1 January 2027, removing the compensation cap and reducing the qualifying service period from two years to six months. Employers planning dismissals or redundancies before this deadline must carefully navigate the interaction between the 1 January cutoff and statutory notice periods, which can extend an employee's effective termination date by up to 12 weeks regardless of payment in lieu arrangements.

Workplace falls remain a significant cause of injury across all sectors, with HSE data revealing that slips, trips and falls on the same level account for 30% of employer-reported non-fatal injuries, while falls from height continue to be the leading cause of fatal workplace accidents. Understanding the common hazards—from wet floors and obstructed walkways to unsafe ladders and unprotected edges—is essential for employers seeking to meet their legal duties and reduce the risk of serious harm.

The family of an 81-year-old Carnforth man who died from mesothelioma after working as an electrical engineer in the 1960s is seeking former colleagues to provide crucial information about asbestos exposure at a Lancaster factory. Witnesses who worked at Jas Williamson & Son Limited or Nairn-Williamson Limited during that period, particularly those with knowledge of industrial ovens and maintenance work involving asbestos insulation, could help establish how Tony Allen contracted the fatal disease that rema

Law firm Slater and Gordon warns parents about the serious health risks posed by asbestos contamination in children's toys and craft kits, following over 100 product recalls from major UK retailers since early 2026. Industrial Disease Solicitor Ryan O'Hara explains how contaminated play sand imported from overseas quarries can release dangerous asbestos fibres during normal play, potentially causing fatal lung cancer decades later.

As businesses navigate technological advances and significant employment law reforms, workforce planning has become critical to success. But what happens when organisations fail to forecast future skills needs, and how can the legal risks of poor planning be minimised in an evolving regulatory landscape?

For many employers, the shape of modern employment law is already changing. Flexible working, carer’s leave and extended redundancy rights have become part of everyday practice. Yet there is one area still under review that could prove the most significant of all, and that’s the protection of pregnant employees and new mothers.

Settlement agreements often involve complex tax implications that can significantly affect how much money employees actually receive. Understanding which payments qualify for the £30,000 tax exemption, which are fully taxable, and which may be paid entirely tax-free is essential before signing any agreement.

The Court of Appeal's decision in Burger v Wetherspoons reinforces established principles on vicarious liability and contractor independence. When a security guard employed by a contracted company assaulted a patron, the court examined whether the pub chain could be held liable for the contractor's employee's actions. The case offers critical insights into how businesses can maintain clear boundaries with contractors and effectively transfer risk through outsourcing arrangements.

Legal budgets are expanding in 2027, yet the gains are being consumed by compensation costs, escalating law firm fees, and unfunded AI initiatives. In-house legal teams face a paradox of growth without capacity, forcing strategic pivots toward insourcing, alternative legal service providers, and adaptable operational frameworks designed for sustained performance.

In-house legal teams are rapidly expanding their scope of work, driven by AI capabilities and rising law firm costs. But as the perimeter of what they handle grows faster than their budgets and capacity, many are discovering that bringing work in-house creates new challenges around workload management and sustainable operations. The question isn't whether to insource more work—it's how to build the flexible, AI-enabled operating model needed to handle it effectively.