The HR Professional’s Guide to the Major UK Employment Laws

When working in human resources, getting employment law wrong isn’t an option. UK employment legislation is complex, detailed and constantly evolving, making a strong working knowledge essential for any HR professional.

While the world of employment law is vast (and far too broad to cover fully in a single article) understanding the fundamentals is a critical part of effective people management and professional HR practice.

Whether you’re new to the profession or developing your expertise with a CIPD qualification, a solid grounding in employment legislation makes for confident and compliant decision-making.

In this guide, we explore some of the major UK employment laws and reforms, what they cover, and the key responsibilities they place on employers.

Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 is a major piece of UK equality legislation designed to protect individuals from discrimination in the workplace and wider society.

It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws such as the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 with a single Act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations.

Failure to comply with the Equality Act 2010 can have serious consequences for employers, including employment tribunal claims, prosecution, and significant financial penalties. As a result, understanding this legislation is a fundamental responsibility for HR professionals at all stages of their career.

Understanding Protected Characteristics

Protected characteristics are specific personal traits that the Equality Act 2010 safeguards from discrimination. Under the Act, it is unlawful to treat someone less favourably because they possess one or more of these characteristics, which include:

1. Age
2. Sex
3. Race
4. Disability
5. Gender identity
6. Marriage and civil partnership
7. Pregnancy and maternity
8. Sexual orientation
9. Religion or belief

HR professionals must ensure that workplace policies, practices, and decision-making processes do not disadvantage individuals based on any of these characteristics.

Types of Discrimination Under the Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 identifies four main types of discrimination that employers must actively prevent:

1. Direct Discrimination: This is what most people think of when they think about discrimination. It occurs when an individual is treated less favourably than others specifically because of a protected characteristic.

However, it’s worth mentioning that most acts of discrimination are silent and sometimes even invisible, meaning that they come from a lack of self-awareness rather than malice.

As much as it is HR’s responsibility to create policies that facilitate transparency and accountability, it’s everyone’s job to educate themselves about their own biases and safeguard their fellow co-workers.

2. Indirect Discrimination: Indirect discrimination arises when a workplace policy, rule or practice applies to everyone but disproportionately disadvantages people with a protected characteristic, without objective justification.

3. Harassment: Harassment is unwanted behaviour linked to a protected characteristic and can take several forms, including:

• Harassment related to a protected characteristic
• Sexual harassment
• Less favourable treatment because a person has rejected or submitted to harassment

4. Victimisation: Victimisation occurs when someone is treated less favourably because they have carried out, or intend to carry out, a “protected act”. As the Equality and Human Rights Commission explains, it includes:

• Making or supporting a complaint of discrimination
• Giving evidence in relation to a discrimination claim
• Raising concerns that the Equality Act 2010 has been breached

Understanding Reasonable Adjustments

In addition to protecting individuals from discrimination, the Equality Act 2010 places a legal duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments.

Reasonable adjustments are changes to the workplace environment or working practices that enable employees to perform their role fairly and effectively. Examples include:

• Changing the recruitment process so a candidate can be considered for a job.
• Making changes to internal processes, such as allowing someone with social anxiety disorder to have their own desk instead of hot-desking.
• Making physical changes to the workplace, like installing a ramp for a wheelchair user or an audio-visual fire alarm for a deaf person.
• Letting a disabled person work somewhere else, such as on the ground floor or remotely in some cases.
• Allowing employees who become disabled to make a phased return to work, including flexible hours or part-time working

These adjustments ensure that people with disabilities or health conditions are not placed at a disadvantage at work.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (often shortened to HASAWA 1974) is the primary piece of UK health and safety legislation governing health, safety and welfare in the workplace. It sets out the legal responsibilities of both employers and employees and underpins all workplace health and safety practice in the UK.

The Act is designed to maintain and improve workplace safety, reduce risks to health and welfare arising from work activities, and ensure hazardous substances are used and stored responsibly.

For HR professionals, understanding these duties is essential to effective people management, risk reduction and legal compliance. Non-compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 can result in severe penalties.

Employer Duties Under HASAWA 1974

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the government-appointed body responsible for enforcing the Act and has wide-ranging powers to investigate breaches, issue improvement or prohibition notices, and pursue prosecution. The HSE works closely with local authorities and councils to ensure organisations meet their health and safety obligations.

As outlined by the British Safety Council, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places clear duties on employers to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workforce. These responsibilities include providing:

1. Health and safety training that enables employees to understand and follow required procedures
2. Appropriate welfare facilities for people at work
3. A working environment that is safe and suitable for the tasks being carried out
4. Adequate supervision, information and instruction to allow work to be completed safely
5. A written health and safety policy (where the organisation employs more than five people)
6. Consultation with employees or employee representatives on health and safety policies and practices

For HR professionals, these duties translate into ongoing responsibilities around policy development, training, communication and employee engagement.

Supporting Health and Safety Regulations

Alongside the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, there are a number of additional regulations (also known as Statutory Instruments) that provide more detailed guidance on specific workplace risks. Key examples include:

1. Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR): Requires employers to record and report certain work-related injuries, illnesses and dangerous incidents.
2. Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2018 (PPE): Requires employers to provide suitable protective equipment where workplace risks cannot be adequately controlled by other means.
3. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: Requires employers to assess, manage and reduce risks arising from work-related activities.
4. Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992 (amended 2002): Requires employers to assess and minimise health risks associated with display screen equipment such as computers, keyboards and mice.

Understanding how these regulations interact with HASAWA 1974 is a core part of maintaining a safe, compliant and well-managed workplace.

Employment Rights Act 1996

The Employment Rights Act 1996 (shortened to ERA 1996) is one of the most important pieces of UK employment law that HR professionals need to understand. It forms the backbone of employee and employer rights at work, setting out a broad range of legal protections for workers and corresponding responsibilities for employers.

One of the Act’s core functions is defining different types of employment status. Employment status affects what rights an individual has and how those rights apply. Under the ERA 1996, status is typically categorised into:

• Employees
• Workers
• Self-employed

The distinctions between these categories can be complex, and organisations like ACAS provide detailed resources that explore these differences. In simple terms: employees generally have the greatest level of rights and obligations; workers have fewer rights; and self-employed individuals typically do not benefit from statutory employment rights because they operate as independent contractors.

Key Rights Under the Employment Rights Act 1996

The Employment Rights Act 1996 grants employees a range of statutory protections. Some of the most important rights include:

1. The right to a written statement of employment particulars (i.e., terms and conditions)
2. The right to a payslip
3. Protection against unauthorised deductions from wages
4. Fair allocation of tips and gratuities
5. Protection from unfair dismissal
6. Protection from detriment (e.g., for reasons such as jury service)
7. The right to statutory redundancy pay
8. The right to request flexible working
9. The right to maternity, paternity and adoption leave
10. The right to a minimum notice period on termination of employment

Workers benefit from some of these rights, though they are more limited compared to employees. Self-employed individuals generally do not qualify for these statutory protections due to the nature of their contract status.

Reforms Under the Employment Rights Act 2025

While the Employment Rights Act 1996 remains a core part of UK employment law, it now sits alongside a new and significant legislative reform known as the Employment Rights Bill, which received Royal Assent in late 2025 and became the Employment Rights Act 2025.

This is the most substantial update to UK employment rights in decades, and the changes will come into force between 2026 and 2027, with a phased implementation to give employers time to prepare.

This reform builds on the foundations of the ERA 1996 but extends and strengthens worker protections in several important areas:

• Certain employment rights, such as paternity leave and ordinary parental leave, will become available from the first day of employment, removing previous qualifying periods.
• New protections related to industrial action and whistleblowing; duties to prevent harassment; and rights around flexible working and zero-hours contracts.
• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) eligibility will expand, with payment from the first day of illness and removal of the lower earnings threshold for worker eligibility.

Why the Employment Rights Act 2025 Matters for HR Professionals

These reforms represent one of the most significant shifts in UK employment rights in a generation. They will affect core areas of HR practice, including contracts and terms, statutory rights administration, dismissal procedures, workplace policies, employee engagement and compliance frameworks.

If you’re responsible for people management, workforce policy, or employment compliance, it’s essential to understand both the current law under the ERA 1996 and the upcoming changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025.

We have a comprehensive guide to the upcoming Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms so you can prepare yourself and your organisation.

Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE)

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, commonly known as TUPE, protect employees when the business or organisation they work for is transferred to a new employer, such as during a merger, acquisition, or outsourcing arrangement.

TUPE replaced earlier legislation from the 1980s and has been amended several times, most notably in 2014 and 2018, to clarify employer obligations and employee protections.

The regulations are designed to ensure that employees’ rights are preserved during a transfer and that the process is fair and transparent. This means employers must make sure that:

1. Employees will not lose their jobs simply because the business has changed hands
2. Important contractual rights, including pay, holiday entitlements, and benefits, must not be worsened
3. Staff must be notified of the transfer and engaged in the process, including any changes that may affect them

For HR professionals, understanding TUPE is critical to managing workforce changes, and maintaining employee engagement during organisational restructuring. Proper TUPE planning reduces the risk of disputes, tribunal claims, and operational disruption.

Recent Additions to Statutory Parental Leave

UK parental leave legislation continues to evolve in response to changing family needs and greater recognition of the realities faced by working parents.

In recent years, new statutory entitlements have been introduced to provide additional support during particularly challenging circumstances, while also placing new responsibilities on employers to update policies and processes.

Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023

The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 came into effect in 2025, introducing a new type of statutory leave for parents whose babies require neonatal care. This leave provides additional support for families of premature or seriously ill infant.

The right to take neonatal care leave applies from the first day of employment. Eligible parents can take leave once their baby has been in neonatal care for at least seven consecutive days.

What’s the eligibility for neonatal care leave?

Leave is available to parents with shared or sole responsibility for the child. This includes:

1. The birth parents
2. Married or civil partners of the birth parent (including same-sex partners)
3. Adopting parents, including fostering-to-adopt
4. Intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement

Each eligible parent is entitled to a separate allocation of leave, even if they work for the same employer. Parents can take a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 12 weeks of neonatal care leave, depending on the length of time the baby spends in care. If a parent has already booked statutory parental leave, neonatal care leave can be added to it.

Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024

The Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024 introduces important changes to paternity leave rights for fathers and partners in tragic circumstances. 

Under this legislation, fathers or partners of a mother or adopter whose child dies during childbirth or within the first year of birth or adoption are no longer required to meet the usual six-month service requirement in order to take paternity leave.

In addition, eligible parents are no longer prevented from taking paternity leave simply because they have already taken shared parental leave.

Develop Your Knowledge of Employment Law

We hope this blog has helped give you a comprehensive overview of the major UK employment laws and what they set out. However, it's important to note that this blog shouldn’t be used as a substitute for your own dedicated research and training on specific employment law areas.

Studying a CIPD qualification, or taking on specific courses or workshops about UK employment law will help to enhance your knowledge and keep you at the top of your game.

Develop your knowledge of UK employment law with an online CIPD qualification!