News

The latest HR and employment news.

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Latest items in News

  • Employers brace for extreme temperatures this week

    Date:
    24 June 2026

    Employers are preparing for a four-day extreme heat warning across much of the UK this week, as temperatures could soar to up to 40°C. The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning - the highest level of alert - for parts of southern England and Wales as temperatures rise to record levels.

  • What would Andy Burnham as PM mean for employers?

    Date:
    23 June 2026

    After Sir Keir Starmer's resignation as Labour Party leader, and an expectation that Andy Burnham will be prime minister within weeks, what would a government led by the former mayor of Manchester mean for employers? With Wes Streeting now backing Andy Burnham, and only a slim possibility that any other Labour MP would garner the backing of 81 colleagues to challenge him, the "King of the North" could be in Number 10 by 17 July.

  • Disabled NHS worker loses tribunal claim over 'chauffeur' comment

    Date:
    18 June 2026

    A disabled NHS worker has lost tribunal claims for harassment and discrimination after her manager joked she would have her own 'chauffeur' due to her disability travel grant.

  • HR unclear what Fair Work Agency is all about - poll

    Date:
    9 June 2026

    Nine out of 10 HR professionals (92%) say they have had no contact with the new Fair Work Agency and 40% are unaware of its remit and what it is supposed to be doing, research has argued. The poll of 140 senior HR professionals by Occupational Health Assessment Limited found a worrying lack of awareness and understanding of the agency, the new workplace watchdog launched in the wake of the Employment Rights Act.

  • Tribunal case exposes sponsor licence pay issue

    Date:
    8 June 2026

    As immigration and sponsorship rules tighten and pay rates determine whether workers can be employed in the UK, a recently highlighted tribunal case has cast light on whether an employer can lawfully pay a sponsored worker more than a non-sponsored worker doing the same role.

  • Employer bodies urge ministers to keep zero-hours reforms simple

    Date:
    3 June 2026

    Ministers have launched a consultation on "ending one-sided flexibility", looking at the detail of reforms from the Employment Rights Act 2025 relating to zero-hours contracts, reasonable notice of shifts, and pay for cancelled shifts.

  • Trade union membership grows to 6.6 million

    Date:
    3 June 2026

    Union membership among public sector workers hit 6.6 million in 2025, up by almost 200,000 on the year before. Meanwhile, union membership among employees in the private sector rose by 76,000 to 2.5 million, according to figures from the Department for Business and Trade.

  • Government to pilot new approach to fix "broken" fit note system

    Date:
    29 May 2026

    The Government has pledged to overhaul the "broken" fit note system, beginning with pilots in four different areas. Through the pilots, patients will be offered either an initial fit note from a GP and then referred to community health workers, or the option to be supported by a separate service staffed by clinical and non-clinical practitioners.

  • Lawyers welcome Home Office reversal on right-to-work rules

    Date:
    28 May 2026

    Immigration law specialists have welcomed a u-turn on Home Office guidance requiring employers sponsoring migrant workers to conduct right-to-work checks on anyone they "directly engage". In the past three months there have been three updates to the Home Office guidance about whom sponsors should conduct right-to-work checks on - the latest, published on 20 May, could bring much relief to employers with licences to sponsor workers.

  • EHRC updated code of practice laid before Parliament

    Date:
    22 May 2026

    The Government has laid the Equality and Human Rights Commission's draft updated code of practice for services, public functions and associations before Parliament. Having received ministerial approval, Parliament now has 40 days to scrutinise the code. If it does not reject it, the Government will set a date for it to come into force.

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