Julie Benjamin HR Limited

18/12/2025

Employment Rights Act 2025 – what you need to know (at a glance)

We finally have greater clarity on the direction of travel, but the detail will continue to unfold over the next few years – so don’t panic.

The Employment Rights Bill received Royal Assent today and is now the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025).

This is a major shift in UK employment law, but most of the changes will be phased in over several years, so there’s time to plan.

Unfair dismissal – the big headline
The qualifying period is set to reduce from two years’ continuous service to six months – currently anticipated from January 2027 (timing still to be confirmed).

Key dates and changes:

📅 April 2026 – first wave of reforms. We expect to see:

- Day-one rights to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave
- Strengthened whistleblowing protection, expressly covering sexual harassment complaints
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) reform – removal of waiting days and the lower earnings limit
- Launch of a new Fair Work Agency
- Increased penalties for failures in collective redundancy consultation

📅 October 2026 – further changes expected around:

- Fire-and-rehire practices
- Tipping rules
- Expanded trade union rights
- A new duty on employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment

📅 January 2027 and beyond

January 2027 – the reduction of the unfair dismissal qualifying period to six months is likely to take effect (not yet confirmed).

During 2027 we’re likely to see additional changes, including:

- Enhanced protections for pregnant workers
- Expanded flexible working rights
- New bereavement leave provisions
- Limits on zero-hours arrangements
- Regulation of umbrella companies

Several consultations are already underway, including:

- Pregnancy-related dismissal protections
- Unpaid bereavement leave
- More are expected during 2026, likely covering:
- Fire-and-rehire restrictions
- Zero-hours contracts
- Umbrella companies
- Tipping law reform
- Collective redundancy processes
- Flexible working rights

Let me know if you'd like a replacement set of policies and other support as we get to grips with the changes.

Call now to connect with business.

16/12/2025

The 2025 ERA Tour has officially wrapped. 🎤

Well… kind of.

The Employment Rights Act (formerly known as the Employment Rights Bill – the Act formerly known as the Bill? 😉) has finally passed.

Parliamentary ping-pong is over, and Royal Assent is expected before Christmas.

No encores, no friendship bracelets, no tour hoodie.

But what an end to the year for UK employment law.

2026 is going to be a big one for HR and employers, as we prepare for changes including:

🆕 A new Fair Work Agency (able to bring tribunal claims even where the employee hasn’t)

⬆️ Redundancy: failure to meaningfully consult could mean up to 180 days’ pay in compensation

➡️ Sexual harassment becomes a standalone whistleblowing category

➡️ Employers must show they took “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment

➡️ New day one rights for some types of family leave

⬆️ SSP payable from day one of sickness

🤝 Consultation underway on giving trade unions access to workplaces to speak to employees (this is huge)

✍ Employers will also have to inform employees of their right to join a union

Fun times ahead. 🤯

If you’re an employer or HR lead and this feels a bit much to get your head around, I’m only a phone call away 07763 989664 📞

01/12/2025

Is a dismissal likely to be unfair if the decision maker relies on a script prepared by someone else?

The case of Alom v The Financial Conduct Authority considered this point.

A member of the organisation's HR team prepared a draft script for the disciplinary manager.

It's fairly common for HR to give managers draft scripts to help them lead meetings, particularly if they're inexperienced. These can help managers keep on track and cover the critical points.

Joanne Moseley has written about the implications of Alom v The Financial Conduct Authority, with accompanying advice for HR teams on how to avoid challenges when scripting meetings.

It's an interesting read, with some useful advice.

Is a dismissal likely to be unfair if the decision maker relies on a script prepared by someone else?

30/11/2025

The best engagement survey I ever ran only had one question.

I walked around the business and asked one thing:

“What would you do if you were me?”

I’d just joined a business with a broken HR team and a culture of:

- profit first
- customer second
- employee experience… buried somewhere further down the list

The answers were brutally honest and unbelievably useful.

As I carried out my survey, word had clearly spread. People were ready for me. Some had notes. Some just needed the invitation.

The answers ranged from:

“Our lunch break isn’t long enough.”

to

“We need to change the business model if we’re going to survive.”

…with a LOT in the middle about culture, leadership capability and empowerment.

People love to talk about the first 90 days.
There are whole books on the subject.

I’m not a fan of the formulaic approach.

My advice?

Walk around. Talk to people. Ask them, face to face, how they’re feeling and what they think should change.

Full disclosure: I stole the question from an inspirational leader I once worked with.

When they asked me, “What would you do if you were me?”, my answer was:

“Sort out the leadership team and bring in some real talent with energy and innovative thinking.”

That honesty, and my appetite to rebuild, led to one of the most exciting periods of my career.

I got to partner one of those new leaders as we rebuilt the front end of the business while others fixed the back end.

It was very hard work … and completely worth it.

So yes, think carefully about how you craft the message.
But don’t be afraid to say what you really see.

Leaders don’t need another dashboard.

They need the truth, kindly delivered, with a practical plan.

This is exactly what I do.

Walk the floor, listen to your people, and turn what they tell me into a straightforward plan for:

- better leadership conversations
- healthier culture, and a people strategy that actually supports the business plan

I’m curious: if your MD asked, “What would you do if you were me?”, what’s the first thing you’d say?

If you’d like help asking (and acting on) that question in your business, drop me a message.

18/11/2025

And the Employment Rights Bill debacle continues to… debacle.

Yesterday’s House of Lords session ended with yet another round of amendments being fired straight back at the Commons. No agreement. No progress. Just more parliamentary tennis, and no one seems any closer to a final Bill.

Here’s what the Lords are refusing to budge on:

• Day-one unfair dismissal: They still want a six-month qualifying period.

• Guaranteed hours: They want workers to be able to opt out of guaranteed hours offers.

• Seasonal work: They’re insisting seasonal roles must be explicitly considered in any future regulations.

• Trade unions: They oppose automatic opt-in to political funds.

• Industrial action: They disagree with removing the 50% turnout requirement for strike ballots.

Yes, there was agreement on the heritage railway amendments, but let’s be honest, that wasn’t exactly the sticking point.

With both Houses digging their heels in, the Government’s implementation roadmap is looking increasingly unrealistic. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that employers will be left waiting, confused and unable to plan with any confidence.

Parliamentary ping-pong might be entertaining for them, but for businesses trying to understand what this Bill will actually mean in practice, it’s just unnecessary delay.

17/11/2025

Boss gave me a couple of hours off to enjoy the beautiful sunshine! She’s good like that 😉

13/11/2025

Too many people are facing redundancy in a very challenging job market. I've shared my thoughts on how to survive it based on my experience a few years ago

I’m seeing that an increasing number of people are being impacted by redundancies.

11/11/2025

One of the most enjoyable parts of my work is mentoring.

A frequently asked question is 'What sets an HRPB apart from an HR Advisor?'

I loved my time as an HRBP and I love helping ambitious HR professionals aiming to step into that role.

I learned a huge amount from some very generous business leaders who invested a lot of time and patience in helping me learn. I spoke to one of my favourites today, and it reminded me that he used ‘Know your numbers’ on repeat.

To partner senior leaders, and truly influence them, you need to be as comfortable talking about EBITDA as you are about engagement. Why? Because an HRBP role is fundamentally a commercial leadership role, one that connects people strategy to business performance.

That means going beyond headcount or turnover and understanding how your business actually makes money, and how decisions about people influences that.

Here are some examples:

✔️ EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation)
This is a key indicator of operational profitability. If your business’s EBITDA is under pressure, you need to understand how people-related costs such as pay inflation, overtime, agency reliance, or high attrition are affecting it. The right workforce plan, skills mix or reward structure can help protect margin and operational efficiency.

✔️ Revenue per Employee
This isn’t just a finance metric, it’s a productivity measure. If revenue per employee drops, it could indicate inefficiency, poor utilisation, or performance issues. HRBP’s can partner with leaders to review structure, clarify accountabilities, or target capability gaps that are limiting efficiency or sales.

✔️Labour Cost as a % of Revenue
One of the clearest indicators of workforce efficiency. Understanding how that ratio compares to similar businesses helps you decide where cost reduction or investment in automation, upskilling or reward reform would make the biggest difference.

✔️Attrition, Absence and Time-to-Fill
These metrics aren’t standalone. Attrition drives replacement cost and disrupts delivery. Absence affects productivity. Time-to-fill drives opportunity cost when revenue-generating roles stay vacant. When you can quantify that lost value, it changes the conversation from ‘you need more resource’ to ‘here’s the financial impact of not acting.’

✔️ Engagement and Performance Data
High engagement is often correlated with higher productivity and customer satisfaction. Analysing those relationships at department level can help you identify the leadership practices or cultural factors that directly influence business performance.

When you can interpret these numbers and explain their story in the same language as Finance and Operations, the relationship changes. You’re no longer ‘HR’ commenting from the sidelines; you’re a commercial partner, deep in the business helping to solve real business challenges.

10/11/2025

Are you having a problem at work?

This might include someone putting you into performance management or absence management, or you're thinking of raising a grievance.

I support employees who find themselves dealing with these type of issues.

My role is to help you understand the process, prepare effectively and communicate confidently, always focusing on fairness and constructive outcomes.

I have over 30 years' experience as inhouse HR, so think of me as your personal HR department supporting and advising you.

Solicitors can be expensive, and most situations can be resolved through the clear guidance and good HR advice I provide.

If you should need a solicitor as things progress, such as to sign off or negotiate a settlement agreement, which only a solicitor is allowed to advise on, I’ll point you towards a good one that I know and trust.

08/11/2025

ACAS conciliation can work incredibly well when an employer handles an exit badly.

If both the employer and ex employee engage meaningfully, terms can be agreed that enable the ex employee to more forward with appropriate compensation, and the employer to avoid the expense and reputational damage of their behaviour being described to the employment tribunal. A tribunal is public and can throw an uncomfortable spotlight on the behaviour and capability of managers, and how the business operates.

So, conciliation is generally a very good idea.

Of late, ACAS has been totally overwhelmed and conciliation has been patchy at best. In some instances conciliation simply isn't happening.

But... change is (finally) on the way!

The Government has published draft regulations to extend the early conciliation period from it's current six weeks to a more reasonable twelve weeks, to take effect from 1st December 2025.

Let’s hope this signals the start of a wider overhaul, because with employment tribunal hearings already being listed as far ahead as 2028, it’s clear the current system is under serious strain.

If you’re concerned about how to manage conciliation effectively, or want to ensure your business is protected while waiting for a case to progress, get in touch for a free exploratory chat.