With attention firmly focused on the first wave of Employment Rights Act changes, most employers have missed recent, helpful, amendments to data protection legislation. For once, most changes are good news for you! The Data Use and Access Act 2025 substantially took effect in February 26. Certain elements have later effective dates. Guidance from the (reprofiled) Information Commission is still awaited regarding others. Not everything has a human resources impact. But most elements that do are helpful. I’ve set out some key provisions below. Automaticity…
Recent research suggests that around 60% of UK businesses have encountered employee grievances they believe were generated using AI, and one in three HR teams have seen AI used in preparing Employment Tribunal claims. From our own experience, this reflects a significant increase rather than an emerging trend. AI‑assisted grievances and claims are now a regular feature of the employee relations landscape. Employees are increasingly using AI tools to understand their employment rights, sense‑check workplace issues and draft formal complaints. While this shift brings new…
AI has been part of everyday life longer than many realise, operating quietly in the background since the 1980s as industry, government and academia developed knowledge representation, expert systems and machine learning. Today, AI is visible in voice assistants like Alexa, smart thermostats that learn routines to save energy, security cameras that distinguish people from pets, and robot vacuums that navigate using mapping. It can still feel "new" because once a technique becomes efficient and widespread, it simply becomes part of the software – unremarkable,…
When we talk about the Employment Rights Act, it’s easy to focus on the legal change itself and lose sight of its wider impact. But for some employers, that impact will soon be very real… and very expensive. The risk isn’t always a headline-grabbing tribunal claim, either. That may be the end result, but the problem usually starts much sooner, often sitting in the gaps employers are most likely to miss. And with the Fair Work Agency now part of the picture, those overlooked gaps…
If you’re in HR, you’ve definitely heard of the Bradford Factor. Developed in the 1980s by the Bradford University School of Management, it quickly gained popularity as a tool for employers seeking a straightforward way to manage employee absence. And with Statutory Sick Pay about to change, it’s making the rounds in conversations again. From April 2026, SSP will become payable from the first full day of absence, and eligibility will widen. That means short-term, intermittent absences may carry a more direct cost for employers.…
When people talk about progress in HR and payroll software, they often think about major releases. But for the teams running payroll every month and managing people data day to day, progress is felt in much smaller ways. It shows up when payroll runs complete without interruption. When data flows through cleanly. When small issues do not turn into time‑consuming fixes. And when teams can trust the system to behave as expected, even during the busiest periods. This is where continuous improvement matters most, addressing…
A lot of recruitment processes still reward people who think quickly on the spot and feel comfortable navigating unwritten social norms. But that can make things significantly harder for some neurodivergent candidates, even when they’re more than capable of doing the job. If your hiring process only works well for one type of thinker, you could be missing out on brilliant people without even realising it. That’s why having a more inclusive approach helps create a fairer candidate experience, whilst giving employers access to a…
A clearer way to understand your payroll and workforce data Payroll and people data have become increasingly important for UK organisations. According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK labour market continues to change. Shifts in employment patterns, participation, and job mobility place greater demands on how organisations understand and manage their workforce.1 Payroll reporting sits at the centre of this challenge. UK government guidance and workforce reporting standards increasingly expect organisations to maintain accurate, well‑governed payroll and workforce data that can support both…
In light of the recent BAFTAs incident, organisations should be looking closely at how they approach duty of care – especially when non-visible disabilities are involved. The incident, involving an involuntary tic linked to Tourette syndrome (coprolalia), resulted in racist language being broadcast nationwide. It has triggered significant controversy. Not only has it caused understandable outrage and hurt within the Black community, it has also fuelled harmful misunderstandings about Tourette syndrome and coprolalia specifically, with some public responses showing a lack of awareness about what…
In February, LGBTQ+ History Month gives us opportunity to reflect on the history of LGBTQIA+ rights in the UK, and how they have shaped our culture. This year's theme is on Section 28: a controversial law introduced in 1988 which banned local authorities from "promoting" or publishing anything about homosexuality. Poppy, Community Engagement & Impact Manager at our sister company Zellis, and a member of our LGBTQIA+ network Moore Visibility, speaks candidly on its impact on the queer community. Researching Section 28 Section 28 is…
