Welcome to the March 2026 edition of Employment Matters, bringing you the latest updates on employment law and key issues for employers and HR professionals.
This April, another tranche of changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 comes into force. These cover family-friendly rights, statutory sick pay, collective redundancies and whistleblowing (to name a few!). Our recently launched Employment Rights Act Hub is a new, comprehensive resource explaining everything you need to know about the Employment Rights Act 2025, from both legal and practical perspectives. In addition, we have produced videos across each of the 12 core areas, alongside a short flyer which summarises the changes coming into effect in April.
I am also pleased to introduce our Institutional Integrity Hub. This is a unique initiative that explores the forces that shape integrity within organisations, drawing on insights from across the firm and leading external specialists. London-based Employment Partner, Mark Kaye, contributed an insightful piece on embedding compliance through culture, and our award-winning Incentives Team has contributed a fascinating piece on the role of incentive design in fostering an ethical organisation. Our Incentives Team has also written about recent developments in remuneration and equity incentives law - and why now may be the ideal time to revisit your reward strategy.
On the international front, MDR ONE, our global privacy and employment law specialists, consider the benefits and challenges for overseas businesses when setting up an "employer of record" (EOR) in the UK. Also, Natalie Jones, Employment Partner in our recently-opened Dubai office, explores the UAE's approach to attracting global talent, as it looks to position itself as a hub for the internationally mobile.
We have two events for your diary. On 14 April 2026, our ever-popular HR Foundations returns. This is a free of charge four-part series of training sessions on employment law essentials; and is ideal for those at the start of their HR careers. On 19 May 2026, we host a half-day session on Employment Law Training for Managers. This is a great opportunity to brush up on procedural know-how – including performance, sickness and discrimination – and will be all the more important once the qualifying period for unfair dismissal is reduced to 6 months from January 2027.
Finally, this is my last Editor's Note for Employment Matters, as I take on the mantle of Managing Partner next month. It has been an enormous privilege to lead this Employment Team over the past 13 years. But even more so to leave it in the very best of hands, as Susannah Kintish has been elected the new Chair of the Employment Department. I have worked alongside Susannah for 17 years. She has helped build this department from the handful of lawyers that it once was, to the thriving team of more than 80 that it now is. I have no doubt that she will take this exceptional group of lawyers to new heights and cannot wait to watch her do so.
My thanks and best wishes to all of you, too, for all your support over the years.