December 2025
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This conference focused on next steps following the expected passage of the Employment Rights Bill later this year, as attention turns to implementation of its provisions, the development of secondary legislation, and key decisions on guidance, enforcement, and integration into the workplace.
With the Government recently launching consultations looking at how the Bill will work in practice regarding family rights and trade union processes, attendees considered how reform might impact protections against dismissal, enhanced bereavement support, union access rights and the duty to inform workers of their right to join a union and the overall effect on employers.
Assessing reform & implications
It brought stakeholders and policymakers together to consider practical aspects of reform across unfair dismissal rights, protections for zero-hours and agency workers, trade union recognition and industrial action rules, and new limits on dismissal and rehire. Delegates assessed implications for legal obligations, workforce planning, contract structures and workplace standards, as well as the consistency of application across sectors.
Strategic considerations and best practice for implementation were also discussed, assessing approaches that can effectively support job quality, fairness, and access to employment across the workforce. Discussion also looked at wider employment reform, including the introduction of a digital ID scheme and the impact on how employers verify workers and how individuals access jobs.
Priorities for employers
Sessions examined the anticipated impact on employers and how organisations might respond. Discussion considered the balance between providing employees with greater security and certainty, and the need for employers to retain flexibility in how they organise work.
Delegates assessed challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises compared with larger employers, and how support and guidance might be tailored to different types of organisations.
Accountability, enforcement & disputes
Those attending also looked at enforcement in fragmented employment chains and how reforms can achieve consistency across sectors. Delegates examined proposals on regulation and accountability for labour supply chains that are under consultation, and broader questions of entitlement access and the enforceability of reforms as they apply to more complex or non-standard forms of employment. Priorities for the Fair Work Agency in supporting compliance and enforcement were also assessed.
Consideration was also given to expected industrial relations reform and their effects on workplace negotiations, consultation processes and dispute conduct. The potential rise in employment tribunal claims was also an area for discussion.
Building & supporting the workforce
Further sessions assessed how implementation might be managed to support workforce retention, as well as priorities for delivering wider productivity and wellbeing benefits. Discussion was expected on the impact across the workforce and priorities for supporting those with increased vulnerability of exploitation.
Additional areas for discussion
- policy: key measures and amendments in the Employment Rights Bill - consultation and secondary legislation - guidance and enforcement frameworks
- unfair dismissal and zero-hours: qualifying periods - expanded protections for agency workers and guaranteed hours - legal risk for employers - compliance and accountability - tribunal capacity
- trade union reforms: longer mandates, revised notice periods, and e-balloting - streamlined recognition processes - implications for industrial disputes
- dismissal and rehire: restrictions on use of dismissal-and-rehire practices - legal and procedural thresholds
- redundancy and shift notice: definitions for notice and compensation - thresholds and protective awards for consultations - implications for business planning
- organisational impact:
- legal exposure - administrative and compliance pressure - differing effects on large employers and SMEs
- workforce and recruitment considerations - administrative burdens - contract redesign - cost of compliance
- tailoring support and guidance to different organisations - HR technology, workforce data, and automation in supporting compliance
- Fair Work Agency: specific responsibilities - implementation planning - interaction with employers and regulators - guidance, resourcing, and coordination with wider labour market strategy
- enforcement and inspection: potential changes in oversight models - consistency across sectors - pressure on staffing and delivery during rollout - enforcement in fragmented employment chains
- umbrella companies and non-standard work:
- regulation and accountability - responsibilities of employers and intermediaries - enforcement challenges in varied employment chains
- transparency and enforceability of reforms as they apply to non-standard forms of employment
- labour market fairness and inclusion:
- access to entitlements and job quality - risk of variation outcomes in early implementation
- workforce retention - productivity and wellbeing benefits - supporting those with increased vulnerability of exploitation
All delegates were able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those who attended include officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department for Business and Trade; Department of Health and Social Care; Department for Transport; House of Commons Library; HM Courts and Tribunal Service; HM Revenue & Customs; Government Legal Department; Home Office; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
