{"id":14695,"date":"2025-09-26T16:48:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T16:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/?post_type=resources&#038;p=14695"},"modified":"2026-04-13T11:03:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T11:03:44","slug":"employment-rights-bill-what-to-expect-podcast","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/employment-rights-bill-what-to-expect-podcast\/","title":{"rendered":"Employment Rights Bill &#8211; where we are now, what to expect next"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-primary-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b5fc8583 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:25px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-7fc3d43a wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<p class=\"\">Darren Newman joins us to unpack the complexities of the Employment Rights Bill, soon to become the Employment Rights Act. We explore the bill&#8217;s sweeping scope and discuss the practical implications for UK businesses. Listeners will gain expert insight into what&#8217;s coming, what remains uncertain and how HR teams can prepare for the most significant overhaul of employment law in decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"listen\" class=\"\">Listen now for actionable insights, expert analysis, and a look at what\u2019s next for HR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Employment Rights Bill - where we are now, what to expect next\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/3mfTk4pWRX1EcyOoRy9MpS?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-brightmine-list-item-spacing-small\">\n<li class=\"\">Major upcoming reforms include electronic balloting for unions, a ban on fire and rehire, and new rights for unfair dismissal and zero-hours contracts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">The bill&#8217;s implementation will require extensive consultations, with many technical and political decisions still pending &#8211; especially around guaranteed hours and zero-hours contracts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Employers should prepare for new liabilities, such as third-party harassment, and expect updates to codes of practice, particularly for flexible working and disciplinary procedures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">HR teams will need to stay agile, as many details will only emerge through future government consultations and secondary legislation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<details id=\"transcript\" class=\"wp-block-details has-secondary-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-84d22dc40a94c94ae68ed58a2170bf7e is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.548), 18px);\"><summary>Read the transcript<\/summary>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Hello, and welcome to the Brightmine podcast, formerly known as the XpertHR podcast. Brightmine is a leading provider of people data, analytics and insight, offering employment law expertise, comprehensive HR resources and reward data to meet every HR and organisational challenge and opportunity. You can find us any time of the day or night at <a href=\"\/uk\/\">www.brightmine.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Hello everyone. My name is Robert Shore, and today we\u2019re going to be talking about the Employment Rights Bill, regularly referred to as the Workers\u2019 Rights Bill in the wider media. To do this, I am joined by Darren Newman, employment lawyer and consultant editor at Brightmine. Hello, Darren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Hi Robert, how are you doing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Very well, thank you. Now, everyone in the UK who runs a business or helps to run one will already know a thing or two about the Employment Rights Bill, which at some point in the coming months will receive Royal Assent and become the Employment Rights Act. So we\u2019re talking today on 23 September 2025. Last week the Commons looked at the amendments proposed in the House of Lords and said no to them all, essentially. Is that right, Darren?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> They said no to all the difficult amendments that the opposition had put forward. They said yes to all the amendments that the Government had put forward\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Ah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> \u2026which is what we expected to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> And so various things have happened recently. Let\u2019s begin with Angela Raynor stepping down. Now, she was one of the principal sponsors of the bill, and obviously some of the other principal sponsors of the bill have also exited their posts at this point. So there\u2019s been speculation that changes to some of the sort of sharper edges of the Employment Rights Bill might follow. What do you think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Well, I think if all that had happened was that Angela Raynor had been replaced, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d have attached a great deal of significance of that for the Employment Rights Bill. I did raise my eyebrows when I saw that Justin Madders, who was the Minister for Employment Rights, had also left the Government, as had Baroness Jones, who had shepherded the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords. And that did make me think that first of all it\u2019s odd timing to lose those two ministers who have been working in such a detailed way on the bill just before the work really starts taking off. Justin Madders has been replaced by Kate Dearden, who\u2019s the MP for Halifax, is a new MP. She came in in the 2024 election. And she\u2019s got quite a lot on her plate now, \u2018cause she\u2019s got to supervise the implementation of this huge bill, and you do wonder whether Downing Street was not happy with the direction things were taking. And certainly if I was an employer I\u2019d regard the change in guard as an opportunity for some fresh lobbying and maybe some fresh thinking about how these measures are going to be implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> We\u2019re not entirely clear on what happens there but we do have the roadmap because as you say\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> We\u2019ve got a roadmap, yeah. Well, if you\u2019ve got a roadmap what can possibly go wrong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Yeah. I mean, most people use\u2026you get your data from satellite instead now, don\u2019t you? I don\u2019t know. Is there a satellite bill?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> I\u2019m trying to think whether we can come up with some sort of modern analogy for what\u2026 But I\u2019m looking at a PDF document so I <br>think we can still call it a roadmap for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. So, as you say, this is a bill that contains a lot of different elements. We have a roadmap which tells us essentially some things will happen immediately at Royal Assent. Other things will happen April 2026, other things autumn 2026, and then 2027 for other things. So there\u2019s sort of a way of thinking about this really large array of changes. What is\u2026if you look at the roadmap now, what\u2019s a good way for a business to think about organising itself in <br>terms of taking all of this on? And then we\u2019ll get into some of the detail of the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Well, as you say, sort of there are some aspects of the bill that come<br>into force automatically, and they\u2019re largely to do with repealing the Trade Union Act 2026, or effectively repealing it. And certainly repealing the strikes minimum service levels legislation, which never really got off the ground and no one has actually used. So no one will\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> It\u2019s not going to make much difference, is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman: <\/strong>So yeah, so that all goes automatically two months after Royal Assent. And we\u2019re expecting Royal Assent probably sometime in October, towards the end of October maybe. So probably in time for Christmas those things will change. From a practical point of view, I think most employers won\u2019t notice a difference as a result of those repeals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">What we\u2019ve then got to look out for is when the Government starts to bring in the more substantive measures, which it\u2019s got discretion as to whether to bring them in or not, and when to bring them in. And as you say, we\u2019ve got this roadmap that talks about some things coming in in April 2026 (like for instance electronic balloting for trade union matters, including strikes), some things coming in in October 2026 (like the ban on fire and rehire), some things coming in in 2027 \u2013 they\u2019re not committing themselves to a particular season of the year in 2027 but that\u2019s the Day One rights for unfair dismissal, zero-hours contracts. And there\u2019s about 30 specific measures that are spread out over that period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">What I\u2019m going to be watching for, though, is not the things coming into force but the things they start consulting on. Because the roadmap does say that they will start to consult on things really quite quickly. And I wonder whether the very ambitious timetable they\u2019ve given themselves for consulting is actually going to be met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> As you say, there is also that in the roadmap, isn\u2019t there? So the consultation, so what we\u2019re looking at at the moment, we are supposed to be going into fire and rehire\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman: <\/strong>Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> \u2026umbrella companies\u2019 regulation, bereavement leave, rights for pregnant workers, end of exploitative use of zero-hours contracts. That\u2019s all supposed to happen this autumn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> That one\u2019s going to be a real key thing for me because I think people have underestimated just how complicated the measures on guaranteed hours, which is what\u2019s dealing with zero-hours contracts and people on non-guaranteed hours or on a low number of guaranteed hours. There is a huge number of political decisions that have to be made to get that measure into shape so that it can be brought into force to regulation. So that consultation is going to be a very big project. There are something like \u2013 I tried to count them the other day \u2013 there are something like 17 or 18 specific political decisions that have to be taken about how that right is going to work, some of which are going to be politically difficult, some of which are incredibly technically difficult and I struggle to envisage exactly what they\u2019re going to say. Is the new minister, who has just come to her post, really going to be able to sign off a detailed<br>consultation during the autumn of 2025? I\u2019d be surprised if she could, to be honest. I\u2019m going to be watching to see if the timetable on consultation starts to slip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> So just to sort of go back over that briefly, what we\u2019re saying really is that the bill is going to be passed and then it becomes the act, but actually that\u2019s not the end of it by any means, and actually\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> It\u2019s the beginning of things, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore: <\/strong>\u2026a lot of the key details that employers are going to be looking for will still not be evident at that point, or there will be lots of big decisions to be made after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Yeah. I mean, there are some measures that are ready to go. So they just have to be brought into force. So for example, third-party liability for harassment is an important measure in the bill. That\u2019s slated to come into force, I think, in October 2026. But nothing has to happen in order to let that come into force. There are detailed regulations that have to be written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Fire and rehire, currently slated for again October 2026, we might expect some guidance on that. Maybe there\u2019ll be some amended code of practice. But fundamentally the law is ready to go once it\u2019s passed. It can be brought in at any time. That\u2019s not in itself going to be difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">But the ending of zero-hours contracts and guaranteed hours for people on a small number of contracts, that\u2019s nowhere near ready. There\u2019s fundamental decisions have to be made about technically how that would work, and that\u2019s going to be a huge ask to get that ready in time for 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> There, with third-party harassment, by the way, let\u2019s just look at that for a second, \u2018cause obviously third-party harassment was one of those things that was originally envisaged for the law that came into effect in late 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Yes, there was an amendment that was originally proposed for the Equality Act, that was a private members\u2019 bill backed by the Government. It had a very un-catchy title, which I can\u2019t remember now. But it basically amended the Equality Act, and what it ended up doing was creating a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. But it dropped its provisions that would make employers liable for harassment from third parties. So people who aren\u2019t fellow employees, so members of the public harassing your employees. There are going to be circumstances where you\u2019ll be liable for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> And we think that this time, although there is always some anxiety obviously from organisations about this because it just extends their liability, we thing that this time that\u2019s going to happen, don\u2019t we?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Well it\u2019s certainly in the bill. I mean, if that got abandoned you\u2019d have to worry about\u2026well, you\u2019d have to wonder at least about what is going to go through, if that doesn\u2019t come in. I don\u2019t see any reason why that shouldn\u2019t come in pretty much on schedule, and it\u2019s certainly something that I would be pointing to if I were a Labour minister trying to persuade my backbenchers that we\u2019re making progress. I\u2019d be able to say, \u2018Well look, we may not have got the zero\u0002hours contract thing done yet but look, we can do this with protecting workers from harassment.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> And I mean, I know from events that we\u2019ve done that a lot of organisations have taken a lot of measures in the interim to make sure that they\u2019re ready for that, although it\u2019s obviously quite challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman: <\/strong>Yes, but all it\u2019s asking you to do is to take reasonable steps to protect people from being harassed by the people they\u2019re going to come into contact with as they work. And as an employer you\u2019d want to do that anyway. So it should be going with the grain of what employers want to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Yeah. And \u201call reasonable steps\u201d, of course Darren, I think it is, isn\u2019t it? That\u2019s the added word?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Let\u2019s do an entire podcast on whether we think the word \u201call\u201d adds any meaning to a duty to take reasonable steps. I think if you\u2019re under a duty to take reasonable steps, that means all reasonable steps, but I have had long arguments with people about that. So let\u2019s not fall out over that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> I agree with you anyway \u2013 I\u2019m only going with you! So, let\u2019s talk about some of those where the detail is very much up for debate at this point. So, obviously unfair dismissal, the probationary period sort of related one. So, a Day One right to claim unfair dismissal. This is one of the key areas in the bill that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Clear manifesto commitment. Not something the Government can resile from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Okay. And so we still don\u2019t quite know, though, what it means because \u201cDay One\u201d doesn\u2019t quite mean day one, does it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Oh, they\u2019ve made a complete hash of this, to be honest. It\u2019s relatively straightforward to just cut the qualifying period. You could do that by regulations. You could abolish the qualifying period by regulations. What the Government wants to do, though, is to have an initial period of employment during which special rules will apply to allow you to dismiss somebody in circumstances where there will be a light touch to the question of reasonableness. And if that sounds a bit vague to you and it\u2019s not very clear what that means, join the club because I have no idea what that means. And I genuinely think that there\u2019s a danger that the Government will end up writing a procedure that you have to follow in order to dismiss someone in their probationary period, however long that is \u2013 whether it\u2019s 6 months, 9 months or even 12 months \u2013 that you\u2019ll have to follow this procedure, and on paper at least it will actually look more onerous than normal unfair dismissal, \u2018cause there\u2019ll have to be a meeting, there\u2019ll have to be an invitation to a meeting. You know, people of my age will remember the statutory dispute resolution procedures of the early 2000s and what a complete disaster they were, and we can see shades of that in the way the Government is setting up this initial period of employment. I think it\u2019s a potentially really tricky thing, and I look forward to seeing what the Government actually proposes when they get around to proposing something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> So, I mean, just again to make sure we all understand all of this in the same way, currently it\u2019s two years before you can bring an unfair dismissal claim. However, there are various heads under which you can bring a claim nonetheless if you are dismissed before you\u2019ve been in employment for two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Absolutely. I mean, we\u2019ve always had\u2026I mean, there are two basic categories. One is discrimination. If your dismissal amounts to discrimination you don\u2019t technically claim unfair dismissal but you claim discrimination and that\u2019s better \u2018cause it gets you better compensation. And that doesn\u2019t need any qualifying service. In fact, you don\u2019t even need to be at day one. You can claim that about the recruitment process. But automatically unfair dismissals would be things like if you have made a public interest disclosure, whistleblowing, if you\u2019re dismissed because you\u2019re pregnant or a trade union representative, or because you\u2019ve acted as a representative in a disciplinary hearing or you\u2019ve asserted a statutory right, or frankly there\u2019s a list of about 30 of them, including if you\u2019ve acted as a pension fund trustee it\u2019s automatically unfair to dismiss you for doing that, though I\u2019ve never come across a case of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> So there\u2019s obviously a change but actually it is already an area where there are lots of challenges that are possible anyhow. And then it becomes potentially very complicated and a lot of businesses then will be looking at their recruitment process as a result of this. \u2018Cause in a way, is that what it addresses, that actually it\u2019s about making sure that employers are serious when they actually take people on in the first place? I can\u2019t imagine why they wouldn\u2019t be but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Yeah. I mean, I guess the key question is, \u2018When an employer takes somebody on, when they go through a recruitment process, how many of them are thinking, \u201cWell, I can be relatively casual about this because I can dismiss them unreasonably inside this first period and they can\u2019t challenge the fairness of that,\u201d and therefore I\u2019ll take a chance on someone I might otherwise not employ\u2019? And if that is a<br>significant thing \u2013 and I\u2019m not a labour market economist so I\u2019m not going to claim one way or the other \u2013 but if that is a significant thing, are they going to be deterred from doing that by the prospect of having to go through this statutory probation period procedure, whatever it ends up looking like? And will that affect, you know, their willingness to take on people who potentially might otherwise struggle to find a job?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Now you know, that\u2019s a political question, it\u2019s an economics question. Certainly something that people are arguing against the qualifying period being reduce to day one are certainly pointing to that as one of the key reasons. But in the world of politics that\u2019s sort of how you frame those arguments, isn\u2019t it? You want to say that Labour wants to protect workers but in fact what it\u2019s proposing will harm workers. That\u2019s how you attack a proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> And there are obviously two aspects to that. One is employers not being serious enough about their duties to employees when they take them on in the first place, but then having that sort of freedom to take a chance on somebody which could be good for that person who is otherwise struggling to find a certain kind of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman: <\/strong>I mean, that seems to be the way they\u2019re going. And that\u2019s why at the moment they\u2019re proposing an implementation sometime in 2027. And even that assumes that they\u2019ll get a consultation out this year, they\u2019ll get the consultation out in autumn. Because one of the things that will have to happen, if we\u2019ve got a detailed probation period, ACAS will have to rewrite its code of practice on discipline and grievance. Because of the way ACAS is structured, and because of its council governance and the various hoops that it has to jump through, it takes them a while to rewrite a code of practice. It can take them a year to rewrite a code of practice. And so if we imagine a consultation which results in an outcome that gives us regulations that will describe how the initial period of employment will work, and then ACAS has to have its time to develop a code of practice and consult on that, and then we all have to get used to what the code of practice says and what the new regulations say, it starts to look like 2027 is optimistic for getting this done. They really have made more of a meal of this than was needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore: <\/strong>Right. So that\u2019s unfair dismissal as a Day One right sort of dealt with. Let\u2019s set that one aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Yep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> What else is interesting in terms of what\u2019s a bit unpredictable at the moment and what has to happen next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman: <\/strong>Well, we may have different views about what counts as interesting, but the thing that I\u2019m currently working through is\u2026Clause 1 of the bill is very exciting. Clause 1 is 18 pages long, and it inserts provisions into the Employment Rights Act 1996 about guaranteed hours. So this is about tackling zero-hours contracts. Not just zero\u0002hours contracts; people on a limited number of guaranteed hours. And we don\u2019t know what that limit is. That\u2019s one of the things they\u2019ve got to sort out. And the basic structure of the new right is going to be, over a reference period you will count the hours that somebody works, and if they work in excess of their guaranteed hours then you may have to make them an offer of a guaranteed-hours contract that reflects the work that they\u2019ve been doing over the reference period. And I\u2019ve been reading this more closely in the past few days and I have to tell you, it\u2019s the worst thing I\u2019ve ever read. As a piece of legislation, it is the most obscure, technical, difficult piece of legislation I\u2019ve come across. And it doesn\u2019t answer fundamental questions about how the right will work. And it seems to me to be wholly disconnected with how businesses will actually operate. I just\u2026I really struggle to see how they\u2019re going to make something workable out of this, but a consultation is due this autumn. I look forward to seeing what the new minister comes up with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> So this is an area where there was a sort of report that the Government was going to outlaw all exploitative zero-hours contracts. Or is that where we are now? And that\u2019s not quite the case, is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Well, the word \u201cexploitative\u201d is not in the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> But it\u2019s a way of the Government saying, \u2018Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re only outlawing the bad ones. What we\u2019re leaving aside is how you tell the difference between the two.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> It sounds like a noble aim but, as you say, quite tricky to define it for everybody all the time. And then the other thing is the Lords, I think, came up with an amendment for this, didn\u2019t they, which was that employers would only have to provide this guarantee if it was asked for by the\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Yeah, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a serious amendment. That is what they did. They basically just inserted the words \u201cif an employee requests it\u201d at the start of Clause 1. And they didn\u2019t, for instance, define what a request was. They didn\u2019t say which employee had to request it. They didn\u2019t address the fact that an employee has to request it but the right applies to workers. It was a political amendment rather<br>than a serious amendment that was really addressing the legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">So the Commons have rejected it. The Lords can\u2019t possibly insist on it. It won\u2019t be in the bill when the bill gets Royal Assent. It\u2019s not going to be based on a right to request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore: <\/strong>As you say, although technically it does have to go back to the Lords,<br>doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> It has to go back to the Lords, but the Lords have to, you know, deal with the fact that it is the House of Commons that got elected and not them. Ultimately, the House of Commons has to have its way. The stage we\u2019re at with Parliament now, it\u2019s technically called the \u201cping-pong stage\u201d, which delights me. And the House of Lords has to decide whether to accept the Commons\u2019 rejection of its amendment or whether to insist on it. And in theory the amendment can just ping-pong between the House of Commons and the House of Lords until one side gives in. But by convention, the Lords give in. And you know, whether they knock it back once, maybe, but ultimately they are going to have to accept that this is what the law will say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore: <\/strong>Okay. So guaranteed hours, then. This is going to remain quite a complicated area. What\u2019s going to happen, do you think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman: <\/strong>Do you know what? I wonder whether it\u2019s actually going to happen at all. \u2018Cause I regard it as such a complete mess, this clause. I\u2019ll wait and see what the consultation comes out with this autumn. If a detailed consultation doesn\u2019t come out this autumn and it becomes clear that the Government hasn\u2019t thought through the details yet and doesn\u2019t have a clear idea of how this right would work, I\u2019d start to<br>suspect that it might just get left on the back burner. If you think it\u2019s already scheduled for 2027, a lot can happen between now and I just wonder whether they\u2019ll actually get around to it in time for the next election but, you know, we have to work on the basis that this is what the bill is going to say and this is what employers are going to be required to do. But let\u2019s wait and see what the Government consultation says and whether they really do get that consultation out, \u2018cause I can see the timescale slipping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> But again, just to be really clear about that, the act should pass at some point late October, early November. It gets Royal Assent, it becomes the Employment Rights Act. It will almost certainly, well it will contain this strand. But I mean, the\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Yeah. I mean, it can\u2019t not\u2026it has to be in the bill. It\u2019s too\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> But then the consultation follows and the Government has to write regulations, which is secondary legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Exactly. So in order to\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> In order to bring it into force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman: <\/strong>So to give you an example of what needs to be decided, we don\u2019t at the moment know who this applies to. I\u2019ve been talking about it applies to people on limited hours. But we don\u2019t know whether it applies to everyone who\u2019s got fewer than 8 guaranteed hours a week or fewer than 35 guaranteed hours a week, and obviously that makes a huge difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">We don\u2019t know what the remedy will be if you haven\u2019t given the offer. Is it going to be two weeks\u2019 pay and not very much, or is it going to be potentially a lot more than that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">We don\u2019t know how long the reference period is going to be. We don\u2019t know what working patterns will trigger a right to guaranteed hours offer. We don\u2019t know when the guaranteed hours offer will have to be made. We don\u2019t know what it\u2019s going to look like. We don\u2019t know how we\u2019re going to deal with seasonal work, for example, if somebody\u2019s got a very busy summer and for 12 weeks they work very busily over the summer \u2013 is the employer really obliged to give them guaranteed hours that reflect their summer hours over the autumn months? Is that sensible? How are the regulations going to deal with that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As I say, there\u2019s about 20 things that need to be decided. And I think when push comes to shove, the Government is going to find it pretty difficult to make those decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Yeah. I mean, as you say, it does cover an enormous range of scenarios, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Yes, it covers an enormous range of scenarios. Exactly, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> And it\u2019s just very difficult to draft law that satisfactorily, you know, addresses those things with equal kind of clarity and rationality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Yes. Imagine, for instance, you\u2019ve got someone who has worked long hours over the reference period, is entitled now to a contract that guarantees them 10 hours a week. How do we stop the employer from saying, \u2018Okay, I\u2019m going to guarantee you 10 hours a week but they\u2019re all going to be worked between midnight and 10am on a Sunday morning. That\u2019s when I\u2019m going to give you the hours.\u2019 So the<br>regulations will have to say, \u2018No, you can\u2019t do that. The hours have to in some way reflect the working pattern that the worker had during the reference period.\u2019 But presumably these are people on relatively flexible contracts and it\u2019s a reference period of about 12 weeks, we think. How do you draft regulations that require a contract that<br>reflects that? I think it\u2019s incredible difficult to do, and I haven\u2019t seen any indication that the Government\u2019s got an idea of that\u2019s to be done. I think that\u2019s something they\u2019re just waiting to think about later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Any other similar areas where there remains, you know, a lot of light to be shed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Well, I\u2019m looking forward to seeing\u2026another thing that\u2019s due to be consulted on this autumn is electronic ballots for industrial action. I think again the Government will find that that\u2019s a little bit more complicated to regulate for than they realised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Next October we\u2019re going to get the ban on fire and rehire. And I\u2019ve been talking about this for the past year now, but I really think a lot of people haven\u2019t grasped just how big a deal that is going to be. Because we tend to think about fire and rehire as a Machiavellian tactic that bad employers use, where they will decide to dismiss all their workforce and replace them with somebody cheaper. But in fact, it\u2019s really the necessary backup to a proposed change in terms and conditions. If you\u2019ve got a set of terms and conditions and the economics change and you can\u2019t sustain those terms and conditions anymore and you need to change someone\u2019s pay, hours, holiday arrangements, time off arrangements, sick pay arrangements, anything that\u2019s going to affect the value of their contract to them, you can propose that amendment but if the employee says no, there is simply no way of making the change. Because if you dismiss them in order to\u2026terminate their contract in order to reengage them on the new terms, that will be an automatically unfair dismissal. And I think that is going to have a bigger impact than many people realise it will have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> And this is sort of a classic thing that businesses do when they are restructuring. Is that right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman: <\/strong>Yeah. So I mean, one of the things it might drive businesses to, in terms of unintended consequences, we\u2019re focusing on firing and rehiring but it\u2019s actually the rehiring that\u2019s being made difficult. Firing is going to be as easy as it ever was. So you can still make people redundant, but what becomes difficult is trying to avoid redundancies by offering lower terms and conditions or a temporary pay cut or the various other tactics that we\u2019ve seen or ways that employers have found to try and reduce the number of redundancies by getting agreement on what the terms and conditions should be. Because now, if one person objects to that, you won\u2019t be able to say, \u2018Well, 90 people have agreed. You\u2019re the only person who\u2019s objecting so we\u2019re going to have to dismiss you and reengage you.\u2019 That will be an automatically unfair dismissal. How can an employer get that process through? They\u2019re going to have to just to straight to redundancies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> And this is presumably not really something that the Government was aiming at in creating the legislation in the first place. Is that right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman: <\/strong>I think the Government did fall into the trap of thinking in terms of good guys and bad guys, and good employers and bad employers. And there had been some examples that we\u2019d seen where employers had perhaps\u2026we talk about the P&amp;O case. That doesn\u2019t entirely fall within fire and rehire, although dismissing your employees and replacing them with people who are not your employees will also be automatically unfair. That was an amendment that was made as the bill went through. But there were also cases involving other employers where it seemed like a bit more of a flex, a bit more of a macho tactic to say, \u2018Right, we insist that we\u2019ll get this change through or we\u2019ll dismiss you all.\u2019 And it\u2019s easier to see how you would sympathise with the workers in that situation and think that the way in which they\u2019re being treated is very unfair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">But there are many examples of employer who just need to get a change in their terms and conditions, and if they can\u2019t get an agreement, what option are they going to get? What option do they have? They\u2019re going to have to just bite the bullet and unfairly dismiss someone and pay the compensation for that. And I don\u2019t think that\u2019s what the Government had in mind when it proposed the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore: <\/strong>Again, it all comes down to the drafting. Is there an easy kind of clause that you could suggest they insert, Darren, so that they obviate that risk?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> No, we\u2019re doomed on that one because that\u2019s one of the things that doesn\u2019t require regulations. That\u2019s all set out in the bill and it\u2019s too late to change that now. There are no more amendments on that. The bill will pass with that intact. They have slightly narrowed the definition of the kinds of changes to contracts that will trigger this right. So you will be able, for example, to enforce a change to location. So if you merely change someone\u2019s location but keep all their other terms intact and the employee won\u2019t agree to that and you dismiss and reengage, that won\u2019t be automatically unfair. But anything to do with actual money or time or hours of work is going to be automatically unfair to dismiss if you can\u2019t agree the change. And there are no regulations needed to make that happen. So if the Government brings it in, that is what it will say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Anything else catching your eye in the bill that\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Well, it is such an odd thing because it is\u2026it\u2019s the biggest single piece of employment legislation there\u2019s ever been. You know, when you look through it there are maybe 30 or 40 substantive provisions in it, some of which we\u2019ve neglected when it\u2019s been going through or we haven\u2019t necessarily figured out what the significance is. There\u2019s going to be a consultation on new rights for pregnant workers in terms of redundancy, for example, and dismissal. I\u2019m not entirely sure what that\u2019s going to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I think one of the things that trade unions are particularly excited about, and it\u2019ll be interesting to see how this goes, is the right of access to a workplace. So trade unions will be given a right to access a workplace for the purposes of organising and promoting collective bargaining, and that may mean electronic access in terms of being able to communicate with employees, but it certainly also means physical access. So they\u2019ll be physically allowed onto the premises. And we\u2019ll need regulations to govern how an access agreement will work to allow a union to do that. And it\u2019ll be<br>interesting to see how much advantage the union movement can take of that to try and boost its membership and boost its footprint, if you like, in sectors that traditionally it\u2019s struggled to make its presence felt. We\u2019re thinking very much of, you know, those very large employers often with American owners who have, you know, seemingly an allergic reaction to any presence of unions. They are going to have to allow unions onto the premises to do their thing, and it\u2019ll be interesting to see how that plays out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Do you think that the union legislation generally is going to have a large impact on businesses that are not currently higher unionised?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> I mean, I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m old enough to remember when the first recognition scheme came in. Not quite the first, but the one that New Labour brought in in 1999 in the Employment Relations Act. And that had less of an effect than the unions expected it to, and the statutory union recognition scheme is being souped up a bit to potentially, you know, make it easier to gain recognition. I suspect it probably won\u2019t have that big an impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A lot of the changes to industrial action are interesting. It\u2019s going to be much easier to take industrial action than it currently is, particularly when you allow for electronic balloting. But I think industrial action is something that we tend to feel in the public sector and in infrastructure. We tend not to see it in, say, you know, private sector manufacturing, for example, or places where you can basically move to China if you need to, if things get too difficult here. It is interesting just as we get into, you know, what might be a potentially tricky time for public sector pay, that the Government is going to make it quite a lot easier for public sector unions in, say, the health service or education or the unions in transport to take industrial action if they\u2019re unhappy with their pay deal. It\u2019s quite a courageous move on the Government\u2019s part, you might say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> All of this is going to require quite a bit of time \u2013 small changes, larger changes \u2013 for HR departments to deal with, and of course I have to say here that Brightmine will be available to assist anyone through this, producing excellent policies and documents in a timely fashion throughout the whole process. But it is quite onerous, isn\u2019t it, just\u2026I mean, because as you say, this is a massive piece of legislation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> I mean, it\u2019s almost\u2026it\u2019s almost a mistake to think of it as one single piece of legislation, right? There\u2019s no such thing as implementing the Employment Rights Bill. What we\u2019ve got is the Government is being given permission over the rest of its term in this parliament to implement 30 or 40 different changes to employment law, some of which are going to be relatively straightforward, some of which are going to be massively complicated, some of which are going to be controversial. And we have yet to see exactly how they\u2019re going to approach that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I tend to think that they\u2019ve probably bitten off a bit more than they can chew because they had this manifesto commitment to introduce the bill within 100 days. So they\u2019ve introduced this massive bill. They\u2019ve taken up a full year getting that bill through Parliament without actually doing any of the things that they\u2019ve promised to do.<br>They\u2019ve now got, say, four years left to implement these. It\u2019s going to take the rest of this parliament, if not beyond, to get these things up and actually working. And so what we really need to see from the new ministerial team is some progress on those consultations that indicate that they\u2019re doing the thinking and they\u2019re doing the work that will actually bring them in force, in line with their expectations. And we\u2019ll have to recalibrate as we go through the next year or as to when we think these things are actually going to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore: <\/strong>One small piece of the bill I\u2019d just like to raise briefly, because I wanted to think about, you know, what actually are its implications and how easy is it for any organisation to introduce this in relation, say, to flexible working, which is obviously an area where there\u2019s been enormous change. And so the bill provides that employers can still refuse a request for flexible working on existing grounds but the refusal will need to be reasonable and they will need to explain why the refusal is reasonable. Discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Yeah. I mean, in a sense you could look at this and you could say, \u2018Well, this is no big deal, is it?\u2019 Because currently, how many employers refuse flexible working requests in a way that they think is unreasonable, right? I think most employers think, \u2018Well, I already behave reasonably. I already deal with these requests reasonably. I already make reasonable decisions.\u2019 But at the moment your challenge to a flexible working request being refused is to look at the process that the employer\u2019s gone through. Because the employer has to behave reasonably in handling the request but its decision does not in itself have to be a reasonable one. And what\u2019s changing is the decision will have to be a reasonable one. What does \u201creasonable\u201d mean? It probably means within the range of reasonable responses. So you know, is this a decision that a reasonable employer could make? But it doesn\u2019t explicitly say that, and tribunals will have to reach their own view about what \u201creasonable\u201d means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Remember these go alongside, normally, claims for indirect sex discrimination. So if you refuse a flexible working request you\u2019re unlikely to just face a claim that you\u2019ve breached the flexible working requirements, \u2018cause you only get 8 weeks\u2019 pay for that. You\u2019re also likely to get a claim for indirect sex discrimination because women are more likely than men to need flexible working arrangements. Now there, your justification has to be, \u2018Well, our refusal was a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim,\u2019 which is quite a high threshold of reasonableness to meet. We\u2019ve got caselaw talking about how you\u2019ve got to establish that. Is \u201creasonable\u201d going to<br>interpreted in the same way as \u201cproportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim\u201d or are we going to have two separate standards of reasonableness depending on what the claim is in relation to? I\u2019ll look forward to seeing what tribunals say about that, but given the current delays in the tribunal system we\u2019re not going to hear what the tribunals have to say about it until sometime after 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Yeah. So it is one of those things that looks quite straightforward and like a small tweak but could\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> It\u2019s basically changed a couple of words in the legislation. It\u2019s basically changed a couple of words. And we could spend an evening discussing what it is to be reasonable when refusing a flexible working request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore: <\/strong>But it is certainly something that employers will have to think about<br>and look at caselaw decisions in order to look at their own processes and make sure that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> I mean, I would expect as well to see a new ACAS code of practice on that, \u2018cause ACAS has a code of practice on dealing with flexible working requests. So that will have to be updated to reflect the new law. So I\u2019d expect that to come through and probably, you know, tribunals will just be applying that code of practice as best they can. And you know, I think that\u2019s all we\u2019ll have to go on for the foreseeable future, I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> So Darren, is there anything else you want to discuss?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> No, I think those are the key things. We\u2019ll see what the Government comes up with in its autumn consultations. I\u2019m always a little bit suspicious when government says it\u2019s going to consult in a season because I think people sometimes have very flexible ideas about what a season is. But I think we can all agree that autumn finishes at the end of November. So we\u2019ll look at the end of November and<br>we\u2019ll see whether the Government has consulted on what it says it\u2019s going to. This is how consultations work. I\u2019ve been doing this for 30 years and the number of times that \u201cautumn\u201d turns to \u201cwinter\u201d, turns to \u201cearly in the New Year\u201d, and \u201cearly in the New Year\u201d turns to \u201cby June\u201d and then, you know, it\u2019s \u201cduring the summer\u201d and before you know it another year\u2019s gone by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Robert Shore:<\/strong> Anyway Darren, thank you so much for your time today. Obviously on the Brightmine website we have lots of resources and we will be keeping you apprised of the various steps as the various elements in the bill, and then the act, become law and enter into force. And so that\u2019s all I think I have to say today, and just to say, until next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Darren Newman:<\/strong> Thanks for having me, Robert. Cheers.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"speakers\">Brightmine host<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-thumbnail is-resized is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/01\/17154338\/Robert_Shore-150x150.webp\" alt=\"Robert Shore, HR Market Insights Editor at Brightmine\" class=\"wp-image-10115\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:100px;height:100px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Robert Shore<\/strong><br>HR Markets Insights Editor, Brightmine<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Guest speakers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/13090150\/Darren-Newman.webp\" alt=\"Darren Newman, Employment Lawyer\" class=\"wp-image-13092\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:100px;height:100px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Darren Newman<\/strong><br>Employment Lawyer and Consultant Editor, Brightmine<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column lnrs-hide-block-on-mobile is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--secondary-gray);border-left-width:2px;padding-left:10px;flex-basis:30%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-2 is-position-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-secondary-gray-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-db4c44a6 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding-top:10px;padding-right:10px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:10px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4b827052 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:5px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400\" class=\"\">In this resource:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-primary-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-459ffb2a7b3dc338c93226d3be8270c8\" style=\"margin-top:5px;margin-bottom:5px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.274), 16px);line-height:1.3\"><a href=\"#listen\">Listen now<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-primary-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-53b045a32da828cda288ce2a72946a2d\" style=\"margin-top:5px;margin-bottom:5px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.274), 16px);line-height:1.3\"><a href=\"#transcript\">Transcript<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-primary-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-71518ad09f03d83428d3713a9cbb6f21\" style=\"margin-top:5px;margin-bottom:5px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.274), 16px);line-height:1.3\"><a href=\"#speakers\">Speakers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-bleach-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-a36fa716 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding-top:10px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Navigate HR complexity with confidence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">With Brightmine, you can build powerful people strategies, implement best practices and set your organisation up for a brighter future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Learn how our tools, resources and automation can empower you and your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/uk\/solutions\/?intcmp=cta|blog|solutions|learn-more\" style=\"border-radius:25px\">Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<p class=\"\"><a href=\"#top\">Go back to the top<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-primary-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4b7a3f7f wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:25px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You may also be interested in&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n<section id=\"resources-search-filter\" class=\"wp-elements-23965a0ab7a61add2fb333678dc51622 wp-block-brightmine-resources-filter has-text-color has-primary-black-color has-background has-primary-white-background-color\">\n\n\n<div class=\"ajax-filter\">\n<div class=\"lnrs-resources-search-filter editor-posts-filtered-types editor-posts-filtered-topics \">\n\t\t<div class=\"search_terms_bottom\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bottom_left\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"search_terms_result_count\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bottom_right\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<div 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trial<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this episode, we explore the Employment Rights Bill&#8217;s sweeping scope and discuss the practical implications for UK businesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":14374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"wp-custom-template-new-resources","categories":[19],"tags":[],"topic":[59],"class_list":["post-14695","resources","type-resources","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcasts","topic-employment-law-updates"],"_lnrs_read_more":"","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Employment Rights Bill - where we are now, what to expect next | Brightmine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this episode, we explore the Employment Rights Bill&#039;s sweeping scope and discuss the practical implications for UK businesses.\" 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