The Brightmine Podcast

HR priorities for 2026 – top tips for a great year

10 December 2025 | 28 min 45 sec

What’s on the horizon for HR and reward professionals in 2026?

In this episode, Brightmine experts Bar Huberman and Sheila Attwood break down the latest research and reveal the top priorities shaping the year ahead. Plus, CEO Scott Walker joins the conversation to explore one of the most transformative trends of recent years – AI in the workplace.

Tune in for actionable insights, expert analysis, and a look at what’s next for HR strategy.

Employment Rights Bill – preparing for the April 2026 changes

1 December 2025 | 29 min 17 sec

Join the Brightmine team as they guide listeners through the Employment Rights Bill’s bumpy journey through Parliament and offer practical advice on how HR professionals can prepare for the legislative changes expected to come into force in early 2026.

Stay ahead of the curve as our experts break down what’s changing – from trade union rules and sick pay to family leave and whistleblowing protections – and get actionable tips to keep your organisation compliant.

Employment Rights Bill – the whats and whens of the trade union-related reforms

17 November 2025 | 33 min 41 sec

With the Employment Rights Bill nearing the end of its journey through Parliament, Laura Merrylees, senior legal editor at Brightmine, is joined by Nick Chronias, a partner at DAC Beachcroft, to discuss the Bill’s many trade union-related changes and provide a phase-by-phase guide to how HR departments can prepare for their implementation.

Rethinking how your organisation supports new parents

3 November 2025 | 21 min 11 sec

Does your organisation provide fair and equal leave and pay for all new parents? The Government has launched a full 18-month review of family-related leave and the Employment Rights Bill is set to introduce some changes in this area.

In the meantime higher expectations among the workforce appear to be prompting organisations to take matters into their own hands and to develop ambitious new policies.

In this episode of the podcast Zeba Sayed, senior legal editor at Brightmine, talks to Becs Peedell, employment lawyer at Lewis Silkin, about her organisation’s equal new parent policy – and how it is seeking to encourage other firms to follow suit.

EU Pay Transparency Directive – what is it and what does it mean for employers in the UK?

16 October 2025 | 34 min 28 sec

Ro Carracedo Lopez, senior International legal editor at Brightmine, discusses the EU Pay Transparency Directive, how member states are adopting its provisions into national law and · not least · its implications for UK organisations with Wouter Heere, Associate at Littler Netherlands, and Rui Rego Soares, Associate lawyer at Littler Portugal.

Employment Rights Bill – where we are now, what to expect next

26 September 2025 | 38 min 52 sec

Darren Newman joins the Brightmine podcast to unpack the complexities of the Employment Rights Bill, soon to become the Employment Rights Act. We explore the bill’s sweeping scope and discuss the practical implications for UK businesses. Listeners will gain expert insight into what’s coming, what remains uncertain and how HR teams can prepare for the most significant overhaul of employment law in decades.

Probationary periods: lessons from recent tribunal cases

17 September 2025 | 25 min 57 sec

UK employment law is evolving – are you prepared? In our latest podcast, Susie Munro, senior legal editor at Brightmine, looks at three recent tribunal cases relating to probationary periods, and discusses the upcoming introduction of a day-one right to claim unfair dismissal. We share actionable insights, real tribunal stories and practical steps to help your organisation stay compliant and competitive. Listen now to future-proof your HR strategy!

Employment Rights Bill – trade unions and workers’ rights

30 July 2025 | 33 min 39 sec

This episode of the Brightmine podcast features Shantha David, Head of Legal Services at UNISON, in conversation with Robert Shore and Laura Kimpton. We dive into how the Bill is reshaping UK employment law, and explore the implications for HR.

Shantha has won landmark victories in the Supreme Court that have reshaped the legal landscape. Her work champions equity, dignity and justice for workers across the public sector.

Essential talent-retention strategies-from secondments to talent pathways

30 June 2025 | 23 min 30 sec

Join us on the podcast as Jeya Thiruchelvam, Internal Communications and Engagement Lead at Brightmine, shares powerful insights on how organisations can truly harness the full potential of their people. Discover how employees can grow, thrive, and elevate their careers · all without changing employers. It’s a conversation about talent, transformation, and the future of work you won’t want to miss.

Gender pay gap reporting – challenges and upcoming changes

4 June 2025 | 34 min 1 sec

Cathryn Edmondson, lead consultant at Innecto Reward Consulting, joins the podcast to talk about gender pay gap reporting – its history, current challenges and the upcoming legislative changes that organisations need to know about.

Immigration law changes 2025 – what HR needs to know

13 May 2025 | 22 min 7 sec

Ferzana Ahmed and Mith Ragukaran, solicitors at law firm Fragomen, join us to talk through the latest immigration developments and issues affecting HR professionals, including what’s on the horizon.

Employment Rights Bill – what’s new, what’s dropped?

17 April 2025 | 26 min 6 sec

In October 2024 the Government launched a major overhaul of employment law in the form of the Employment Rights Bill. A number of important amendments have been introduced since the proposed legislation was first published. Stephen Simpson, principal editor at Brightmine, joins the podcast to provide an update and help HR departments prepare for the changes.

Neonatal care leave – a practical guide

31 March 2025 | 29 min 22 sec

Jo Broadbent, counsel knowledge lawyer at Hogan Lovells, joins us to discuss the new right to neonatal care leave and look at likely forthcoming changes to family-friendly employment rights in the Employment Rights Bill.

Tribunal round-up – disability-related absence

19 March 2025 | 20 min 49 sec

Susie Munro, senior legal editor at Brightmine, looks at three cases where employers have lost “discrimination arising from disability” claims after treating workers unfavourably because of disability-related absence.

Pay transparency – prepare for change

27 February 2025 | 25 min 39 sec

Justine Woolf, director of consulting at Innecto Reward Consulting, joins the podcast to tell us about pay transparency legislation in the US and EU and why employers in the UK need to be prepared for change – and how their organisations can benefit by taking a proactive approach.

What’s up with WhatsApp in the workplace?

13 February 2025 | 21 min 29 sec

WhatsApp and other informal instant messaging platforms are an invaluable communication resource for individuals and groups. But as some recent legal cases have shown, they can also create problems when they are used in a work environment. Sam Dickinson, an employment lawyer and partner at Mayo Wynne Baxter solicitors, joins the podcasts to talk about the pitfalls – and what employers can do to manage risk.

The criminally overlooked potential of ex-offenders in the workforce

4 February 2025 | 31 min 29 sec

A significant proportion of the population have criminal records. So what are the legal requirements when thinking about recruiting someone with a spent or unspent conviction? And are employers that shy away from engaging with ex-offenders failing to make use of a valuable resource and even damaging their organisations? Debbie Sadler of Unlock and Brightmine senior legal editor Laura Merrylees join the podcast to discuss these questions and more.

Psychological safety in the workplace

15 January 2025 | 30 min 4 sec

Psychological safety is one of the cornerstones of a productive, progressive workplace. Strategist, futurist and data scientist Wilson Wong joins the podcast to discuss how to build it, how to measure it and what can go wrong when it’s lacking in an organisation.