May 2026
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This conference considered next steps for women in the workplace in the UK, following the Employment Rights Act 2025 coming into law.
It brought key stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss priorities for implementing new employer duties and protections as they come into force, and what will be needed in practice to support fairer work and pay, safer workplaces, and improved progression and retention.
Duties & implementing protections under the Employment Rights Act
The agenda considered issues arising from phased commencement, including implementation of day-one protections from April 2026, and what this may mean for workforce planning, recruitment practices and organisational policies. Attendees also looked at implications and next steps following the Government’s recent consultation proposals to introduce enhanced protections against dismissal for pregnant women and new mothers, and to expand bereavement leave, including for pregnancy loss.
Further discussion was expected on how to provide legal certainty and reduce scope for unintended consequences, alongside strategic considerations for employers in reconciling strengthened protections with organisational and commercial practicalities. Delegates also assessed approaches to guidance and enforcement, including the anticipated role of the Fair Work Agency, and concerns raised by some employer groups around the need for clearer guidance, transitional support and regulatory capacity to implement reform.
Workplace culture, leadership & tackling discrimination
Delegates considered practical approaches to creating safe and inclusive workplace cultures, including strategies for tackling discrimination and improving confidence in reporting and redress.
Compliance with enhanced duties to prevent workplace harassment was discussed, including measures from October 2026 requiring employers to demonstrate they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, alongside assuming direct liability for harassment by third parties.
Sessions assessed what may be needed to embed culture change in practice. Looking at effective approaches and how challenges in implementation might be addressed, areas for discussion included workforce strategies, preventative measures, and putting in place capability within management and senior leadership to identify and challenge inappropriate workplace behaviours. Attendees also considered issues emerging around expanded flexible working rights and employee protections, including the interaction between statutory duties and voluntary employer initiatives, and what this may mean for policy design, management skills and training, and reporting and redress arrangements.
Supporting women’s health & reducing barriers to workforce participation
Further discussion focused on support for women’s health, including access to healthcare and integrating menstrual, reproductive and menopause support into HR policy. Attendees considered practical implications for operational strategy and practice of forthcoming changes to Statutory Sick Pay - including eligibility from day-one, removal of the lower earnings limit and earnings-based pay - alongside the expansion of support schemes such as WorkWell.
Following publication of the Office for Equality and Opportunity’s initial employer guidance for creating workplace action plans to reduce the gender pay gap and support employees experiencing menopause, it was an opportunity to assess practicalities for employers in transitioning from data transparency to workplace change, as well as priorities for secondary legislation - with action plans set to become mandatory from 2027.
Areas for discussion included approaches to utilising workforce demographic data for informed decision-making, how to support publication of action plans and progress monitoring, and priorities for senior leadership and training to achieve successful organisation-wide implementation. Recommended measures to be utilised in employer plans were explored - such as inclusive job descriptions, CV screening techniques, setting up menopause support networks, and enabling workplace adjustments.
We also expected discussion to draw on wider findings from the Keep Britain Working: Final Report, including implications of rising health-related economic inactivity for workforce participation and retention, questions about the balance of responsibility between employers, the health system and individuals, and priorities for earlier intervention, workplace adjustments and access to occupational health support.
Recruitment, retention & progression
The conference looked at next steps for supporting women’s career development, including practicalities and effective practice for employers in taking forward provision of access to targeted careers support and networking opportunities, effective mentoring and sponsorship pipelines, and mechanisms for identifying and addressing bias across recruitment, progression and senior promotion pathways.
Attendees examined ways that maternity discrimination, childcare costs and the pension gap can be addressed, and what will be necessary in terms of possible policy development, and financial and wellbeing support, to adequately tackle these issues.
Practical options were explored, including the impact of flexible working patterns, and implementation of family-friendly policies, and maternity and paternity support, in facilitating retention and progression, particularly for those with caring responsibilities or who have taken career breaks. Cost, efficiency and resourcing challenges for employers will also be explored.
Equality legislation, pay gap reporting & related proposals
We expected consideration on the future for related proposals on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, including practicalities for gathering and publishing intersectional data, alignment with equality action plans, treatment of agency and outsourced workforces, and differing views on monitoring and enforcement.
Alongside pay gap reporting, discussion considered options for addressing the gender pension gap, currently estimated to stand at 48% between men and women aged 55-59, and what this may mean for employers, workers and representative bodies in sectors with predominantly female workforces, including health and social care and retail.
As well as key stakeholders those attending included officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department for Business and Trade; HM Revenue and Customs; Intellectual Property Office; National Crime Agency; National Audit Office; HM Prison and Probation Service; Office for National Statistics; Office for Investment; Home Office; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
