Welcome to the October 2025 edition of Employment Matters, bringing you the latest updates on employment law and key issues for employers and HR professionals.
We start this edition by blowing our own trumpet! I am proud to report that we were recently successful in the Court of Appeal in a landmark case concerning the interpretation of the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000. While we await our appearance before the Supreme Court (expected next year), we have summarised what the case is about.
Otherwise, despite the relative quiet of summer, we have continued to keep our finger on the pulse. Our market-leading High Court Team has authored a range of articles on recent developments and cases. Topics include litigation strategy and case management in "team move" cases (a particular specialism of ours); what to do if the other side accidentally sends you confidential documents; and how a debate in the House of Lords about AI and tech may have revivified interest in limiting the application of non-compete clauses.
In addition, we authored an article for leading industry publication, PLC Magazine, on the government's unprecedented review of the UK parental leave and pay framework; and as the Employment Rights Bill enters its final parliamentary stages, we continue to monitor developments through our Employment Rights Bill Hub.
Turning to employment matters with a corporate twist, we explain what directors and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) need to do to comply with the new Companies House ID verification processes, which come into effect in November 2025. We also feature two articles by Liz Hunter, Partner in our Incentives Team. In the first, Liz explains how existing EMI and CSOP agreements can benefit from the incoming PISCES platform without losing tax-advantaged status. In the second, she recounts the cautionary case of Dixon v GlobalData, and the perils of communicating informally with leavers about the treatment of their share awards…
Finally, we have two upcoming events which may be of interest to you or your colleagues:
- Four Generations of Women Panel Discussion: On 13 November 2025, M:Powered Women will host an invite-only event at Fortnum & Mason. Led by Employment Partner Emily Knight, this expert panel will explore the dynamics of four generations of women working together in today's workplace.
- Return to Work Training for HR Professionals: On 25 November 2025, we will be delivering our interactive "Returnity" session to support HR professionals returning from family (or other) leave. The session covers key legal updates from the previous year to ensure a smooth transition back to work.
Before we sign off, we are delighted to share that we have been shortlisted for three awards by The International Employment Lawyer: Rewards and Incentives Team of the Year, Investigations Team of the Year, and Senior Executive Team of the Year. We are genuinely grateful to all our clients for trusting us with their most important and personal matters – your confidence in us makes achievements like this possible.