EPG press features

In HR Magazine, Matt Wishart, Employment Lawyer at Halborns, suggests that process matters just as much as the reason for redundancy – even when a business is closing. Everything needs to be handled properly, especially in cases with long-serving employees.

NatWest Group has today announced the sale of its employment law, HR, health and safety, and environmental management consultancy business, Mentor, to Empowering People Group, backed by Limerston Capital.

A survey by Acas found that over a third of workers feel that their employers’ training for managers to support neurodiversity in the workplace is ineffective. In People Management, Kelly Armitage, HR Technical Consultant at AdviserPlus, outlines the challenges of neurodiversity training and putting into practice, given the scope of neurodiversity and how it presents differently in individuals. Instead, moving beyond awareness training and providing managers with the tools to support employees is key.​

In this HRD article, Empowering People Group CEO, Rena Christou, highlights the rapid evolution of employment law, urging organisations to adopt structured, data-driven employee relations models that prioritise consistency, early intervention and proactive risk management to improve workplace trust, wellbeing and efficiency. ​

First published in theHRDIRECTOR magazine, Issue 257, March 2026. Reproduced with permission.

Recent analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) found that women are expected to benefit most from reforms under the Employment Rights Act. With women twice as likely to be earning less than the SSP threshold and making up 54% of all workers on zero hours contracts, the changes coming with impact them most.

Sarah Kerr, HR Technical Consultant at AdviserPlus, writes in People Management that day-one SSP provides vital security for those balancing work and care, while contract reforms offer much-needed certainty, provided they are backed by fair internal policies.

In Make A Difference Media, Beth Bearder, Director of Legal Services at Halborns, warns the Employment Rights Act roadmap needs action now.

With strike reforms live and Statutory Sick Pay changes due in April 2026, strengthening manager capability and harassment prevention is critical. By 2027, only organisations that have moved beyond policy updates will be ready.

According to an Acas survey of 2,000 senior leaders and employees, with 43% and 36%, respectively, changes to statutory sick pay are expected to have a bigger impact on workplaces than any other reform in the Employment Rights Act.

In People Management, Hannah Johnson, HR technical consultant at AdviserPlus, warns that the changes to SSP could lead to an increase in employee absences.

In Personnel Today, Rena Christou, CEO of Empowering People Group, challenges claims that HR is “bloated.” She argues the UK’s highly regulated, increasingly litigious workplace demands strong HR capability, not cuts, particularly as the Employment Rights Act increases pressure.

Rather than blaming EDI, she calls for data-led decisions, stronger manager capability and a more proactive HR model to manage rising risk and complexity.