EPG press features

Jess Tomkinson, Employment Lawyer at Halborns, argues that menopause policies alone are not enough to create meaningful support. She says the biggest difference comes from managers having the confidence to start conversations, recognise when support is needed and respond appropriately before concerns develop into performance, absence or legal issues.

In an interview with Authority Magazine, Rena Christou, CEO of Empowering People Group, reflects on the leadership principles that have shaped her career, why proactive HR and employment law support is becoming increasingly important, and the role kindness, action and enjoyment play in building high-performing teams. Read the full interview to discover her perspective on the future of HR, AI, female leadership and what it takes to disrupt an industry for the better.

When temperatures rise and yellow weather warnings are issued, how can HR leaders support their people? In HR Magazine, Sarah Kerr, HR Technical Consultant at AdviserPlus, explores why heatwaves are highlighting the limits of one-size-fits-all workplace policies, and what employers should consider as hotter weather begins to affect concentration, productivity and attendance.

Sarah Kerr, HR Technical Consultant at AdviserPlus, highlights that while outgoing leaders can provide useful insight into role requirements, there is a clear distinction between contributing to a process and making final hiring decisions. She stresses that effective succession planning should be proactive rather than reactive, with organisations already identifying critical roles, capability gaps and talent pipelines well before a resignation is announced, to support objective, forward-looking decisions.

Jess Tomkinson, Employment Lawyer at Halborns, argues that neurodiversity support succeeds or fails through everyday management rather than policies alone. She highlights that managers need the confidence to have supportive conversations, recognise when adjustments may be needed and respond appropriately before issues escalate into grievances, absence or tribunal claims.

Commenting on the Tube drivers’ four-day week dispute, Beth Bearder, Director of Legal Services at Halborns, said employers should focus on how compressed hours work in practice, not just on paper. She highlighted the importance of consultation, trial periods and considering the impact of longer shifts on fatigue, health conditions and caring responsibilities.

Jess Kelleher, Head of Litigation at Halborns, warns that rising disability discrimination claims are exposing gaps in how employers identify, investigate and respond to health conditions. Recent tribunal cases show that informal disclosures, poor use of medical evidence and failures to consider reasonable adjustments can all create significant legal risk.

Commenting on rising sickness absence levels, Sarah Kerr, HR Technical Consultant at AdviserPlus, said employers need to focus less on managing absence after it occurs and more on identifying risks early. She highlighted the role of manager capability and workforce data in spotting patterns, enabling earlier intervention and preventing short-term issues from becoming long-term absences.

Commenting on research highlighting retention as HR’s biggest challenge, Rebecca Fox, HR Technical Consultant at AdviserPlus, stressed the importance of understanding the underlying causes of employee turnover rather than focusing on retention figures alone. She highlighted the need for stronger manager capability, better insight into employee sentiment and a proactive approach to addressing issues before employees decide to leave.

The suspension of a doctor over comments made in a workplace WhatsApp group following the October 7 attacks highlights the risks of political discussions crossing into professional settings. Jac Jones, HR Technical Consultant at AdviserPlus, said the case shows that workplace WhatsApp channels are rarely private and underlines the need for clear guidance, robust policies and manager training to address conflict and protect psychological safety.

In this article for The Times, Empowering People Group CEO Rena Christou discusses how AI and employment law reform are reshaping the workplace, placing greater pressure on HR and legal teams while creating new challenges for organisations striving to balance fairness, compliance and effective people management.

Following the recent tribunal decision involving a former CHRO, Halborns Associate Legal Director Jess Kelleher explores what employers can learn from the case. Her analysis highlights how inconsistent performance assessments and poor documentation can quickly create legal exposure, reinforcing the need for employers to ensure key people decisions are evidence-based, defensible and consistently applied.

As legal expectations around preventing workplace sexual harassment continue to evolve, Halborns Director of Legal Services Beth Bearder explores why policies and training alone are no longer enough. Her analysis highlights the growing importance of organisational culture, consistent decision-making and employee trust in internal processes as critical factors in reducing both legal and reputational risk.

The move to day-one Statutory Sick Pay represents one of the most significant shifts in absence management in decades. However, its real impact will depend on how consistently it’s applied in practice. As HR Technical Consultant Sarah Kerr explains, the challenge sits at line manager level, where informal decision-making, operational pressures and varying confidence can all influence whether absence is properly recorded and managed.

In this HRD article, Empowering People Group CEO, Rena Christou, emphasises the need for organisations to adopt a systemic, data-driven approach to employee relations, shifting from reactive case management to proactive insight generation, while investing in technology and empowering managers to drive accountability, improve consistency and enable earlier, more effective interventions across the workforce. ​

First published in theHRDIRECTOR magazine, Issue 258, April 2026. Reproduced with permission.

In HR Magazine, Jess Kelleher, Associate Legal Director at Halborns, suggests that performance and pay decisions must be transparent and evidence-based to avoid discriminatory outcomes. She notes that small procedural errors can escalate into costly, long-running disputes if litigation strategy isn’t managed tightly from the start.

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.