What this means for your business, and what you need to do now. Zero-Hours Contracts Are Changing: What This Means for Your Business (and What To Do Now)    Over the past few months, many of you have asked me the same question:  “We use zero-hours contracts… are we still allowed to?”   Short answer: yes.  Longer (and much more important) answer: you can, but the way you manage them is about to change significantly.   The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces the biggest shift

The Updated Employment Rights Act 2025 Roadmap: What HR Professionals Need to Know The Employment Rights Act 2025  (ERA 2025) marks one of the most significant overhauls of UK employment law in a generation, reshaping how rights at work are defined, delivered and enforced across organisations. The Government’s updated implementation timeline, published in February 2026, has clarified when key reforms will come into force and given HR leaders a firmer picture of what to prepar

After nearly a year of intense parliamentary deliberation, the Employment Rights Bill has finally cleared its parliamentary stages and is now poised to become the Employment Rights Act 2025, pending Royal Assent. What started as a flagship legislative programme to overhaul UK employment law has ended in significant reform.  But not without compromise, uncertainty and complexity for employers preparing for change. 1. A Journey Through Parliament From initial proposals through

The recent announcement that the government is ditching the promise of “day-one” protection against unfair dismissal, instead imposing a six-month qualifying period, marks a major shift in the employment-law landscape. I see this not simply as a policy retreat, but as a signal to all employers: the upcoming reforms still demand attention, but expectations need recalibrating. What Changed And What Stayed the Same · The headline commitment has changed: workers will no longer ha

Yesterday, the Government confirmed that from April 2026 we will see another increase in the statutory wage floors: the NLW:  For over-21s will increase from £12.21 to £12.71 per hour NMW for younger workers aged 18-20 will also rise to £10.85/hr 16–17-year-olds and apprentices to £8.00/hr. As an HR consultant I’d encourage all employers, large and small, to treat this not as a trivial “tick-box compliance” but as a strategic prompt to review how your workforce planning, pay

Employment Law Update - November 2025  Lords Ping-Pong, Digital HR1 Forms, and a Longer Early Conciliation Window It’s been a couple of lively weeks in the world of employment law. The House of Lords and House of Commons continue their legislative “ping-pong” over key employment reforms, while the Government quietly drops several significant procedural updates elsewhere. Here’s what HR teams and employers need to know. 1. Unfair Dismissal: Lords Continue to Oppose Day-One Rig

As business owners, we all wear too many hats. Between managing compliance, performance, wellbeing and growth, it’s no wonder that staff training often slips to the bottom of the list. Yet, the truth is, your people are  your business. When they’re confident, knowledgeable and supported, everything else flows more smoothly. That’s where The Affable Partnership Ltd  comes in. We understand that finding the time (and headspace!) to design and deliver effective training can be a

I’ll be honest, when most businesses hear the term Data Subject Access Request (DSAR), their first reaction is usually a mixture of...

Now that the summer holidays are behind us and we’re settling back into work mode, it might feel a little early to be mentioning...

If we were sitting together over a cup of coffee right now, I’d probably be telling you how much I care about helping businesses become...

We’re delighted to share that The Affable Partnership Ltd has been featured in The Telegraph’s national Business Guide section! In an...

The Government has now published its official roadmap for implementing the Employment Rights Bill , a centrepiece of its “Make Work Pay”...

Recently, the Affable Partnership team came together for one of our regular catch ups. What started as a routine check-in evolved into a...

In today's business landscape, supporting the wellbeing of your employees is no longer a luxury, it's a strategic imperative. As...

For decades, employers have quietly benefitted from the strict three-month deadline to bring claims before an employment tribunal. This...

As we approach April 2025, businesses across the UK face significant financial shifts. With the government confirming an increase in...

Government confirms new right to neonatal leave and pay will be introduced from 6th April 2025 The Department for Business and Trade have...

Laura and Kara On 21st January 2025, my associate, Kara, and I facilitated a Managing Organisational Change module taken from our list of...

I’m absolutely thrilled to share that we won the SILVER AWARD for HR Consultancy of the Year at the International Brilliance Awards...

As we step into a new year, it’s time to refocus on the metrics that matter most. HR isn’t just about managing people—it’s about driving...