HR professionals in the UK face some unique challenges and employment issues in the summer of 2026. These include increased uncertainty over workers' annual leave plans because of world events; public transport disruption leading to attendance issues; and a heatwave meaning that employers should monitor workplace temperatures to ensure that they do not become unreasonable. It is also a World Cup year, which brings its own specific problems around absence, holiday and conduct.
We look at three recent employment tribunal decisions concerning dress and jewellery codes that led to successful employment tribunal claims for religious discrimination and unfair constructive dismissal.
As employers like Virgin Atlantic relax their policies on visible tattoos in the workplace, Nicola Cockerill examines the benefits of redrafting dress codes to make them more ink-friendly and discusses the legal issues that can arise.
This constructive dismissal claim against a fashion retailer was unsuccessful, but it does reveal some of the difficulties that can arise when employers in this sector require their staff to project a particular image.
This employment tribunal considered whether or not it was discrimination for a manager with health and safety concerns to ask a Muslim interviewee about her unusually long religious dress.