As the number of workers in payrolled employment continues to drop. Early estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest the number of workers in payrolled employment slipped by 11,000 between February and March 2026, the first month of the Iran War. The figures highlighted the number of job vacancies in the UK fell to their lowest level in almost five years, dropping to 711,000 for the January to March 2026 period.

Figures also showed that there were 89,000 more 16-24 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEETs) between January and March in 2026 than in 2025.

Amid an influx of technological advancements, an ageing workforce, a scarcity of entry-level jobs and a widening skills gap, it has never been more important for young people to prepare for the world of work. On a mission to do all it can to support workers, of today and in the future, Gi Group is working closely with schools in The Two Counties Trust to deliver practical, applicable and bitesize tips and tools at crucial points in the school curriculum.

Hayley Pickering, Regional Manager at Gi Group, commented: “We’re proud to support The Two Counties Trust with career fairs, CV support, mock interviews and speed networking events. Working alongside other regional businesses, we are able to offer careers advice that is really fit for the future in the context of current, and projected, job market insight for children embarking on the world of work. Through the sessions we attend, we work with children, aged between 14-16 years, to understand what drives their career decisions, which in turns supports the work we do.

“We have four members of our employability Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team at Gi Group, but the whole business helps with attendance at these events to give young people true exposure to a range of roles. Throughout 2025, we dedicated 130 hours to our employability initiatives and already in 2026, we have volunteered 45 hours.”

The youngest generations in the workforce, Millennials and Gen Z, have reshaped the world of work. As reported in Deloitte’s global ‘2026 Gen Z and Millennial Survey’, just 25% of Gen Zs and 21% of Millennials prefer fast-paced career progression marked by rapid promotions. Uncertainty has accelerated how Gen Z and Millennials invest in their own employability – prioritising skills development, continuous learning and innovative tools, such as AI. Gi Group believes these trends will continue into future generations.

Clare Hodgson, Deputy Careers Manager at The Two Counties Trust, said: “Working in partnership with businesses, including Gi Group, plays a vital role in strengthening Two Counties Trust’s strategic vision. By creating meaningful connections between education and industry, we are able to offer students a rich variety of real-world experiences. These opportunities not only broaden their horizons but also help them develop the practical skills, confidence, and adaptability needed to thrive in the world of work.”

Hayley added: “The Trust operates schools in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and with our headquarters in Chesterfield, we felt it was the perfect fit for our team to invest in our local community. In the current climate, we recognise how challenging it is for young people to even get work experience, let alone a full-time job, which is why we’re doing what we can to give them the very best start. There has been a number of uncertainties across the labour market in recent years, so we hope by providing young people with the advice and tools to succeed in the real world, we can support their progress.”

Leading independent Employee Experience and Culture consultancy, scarlettabbott, this week published its World Changers Report 2026 – an annual survey of Employee Experience (EX) leadership across UK business. Conducted by Censuswide, the research surveyed 752 senior HR and Internal Communications leaders at organisations with 1,000 or more UK employees between 26 March and 8 April 2026.

Examining key areas from across the culture ecosystem the report finds organisations facing a gap between intent and execution. Years of sustained effort have won the argument for the value of employee experience. Budgets have been committed, C-suite belief secured. But winning the argument is not the same as solving the problem. The distance between organisational intent and what employees actually experience has, for many, grown wider still.

Rowan Manning, CEO, scarlettabbott, said: “Our 2026 World Changers report paints a picture of organisations caught in a paradox. Drive performance while building culture. Lead change while providing stability. What the data confirms is that culture is a living system. You cannot fix it by treating a single symptom. It must be understood as a whole, so you know where to act, in what sequence and why it matters. The gap between strategy and execution, between knowing and truly feeling, is where culture is won or lost. In 2026, it is time to close it.”

Key findings from the 2026 Report include:

Investment is growing. Execution is stalling

Almost two thirds (63%) of organisations have increased their EX budget year-on-year, with just 16.5% reporting a decrease and an average annual uplift of 4%. The top investment priorities for the next 12 months are performance management systems (34%), leadership development (32%), and recognition programmes (31%) – all pointing to the same instinct: build the operational scaffolding.

But the barriers to good EX are not easing in proportion to the investment. Misalignment between employee needs and leadership priorities has grown as the biggest reported blocker year-on-year, cited by 30% in 2026 versus 27% in 2025. Meanwhile, communication and understanding of EX as a barrier has fallen (23% from 28%), suggesting organisations are becoming more aware of EX while simultaneously struggling more to align leadership decisions with what employees actually need.

Vision is communicated. Whether it’s changing what matters is still in question. 

81% of leaders say employees are clear on their organisation’s long-term vision and direction. But that confidence narrows considerably under scrutiny. Only 31% believe employees are extremely clear – the bar that reliably translates into changed behaviour.

The picture becomes more significant on behaviour change. Asked whether their organisation knows which specific behaviours need to change to achieve its strategic goals, just 29% felt extremely confident – with 51% opting for very confident. The gap between believing employees broadly understand the direction and being certain they know what to do differently is one of the report’s most significant findings.

The EVP picture compounds this. Just 34.6% of organisations have a clearly articulated and actively embedded Employee Value Proposition. Nearly two thirds are still evolving theirs, have not widely embedded it, or have no defined EVP at all.

Recognition is valued by everyone but strategically embedded by few.  

81% of leaders say recognition has a great deal or quite a lot of influence on employee effort and performance. Yet just 16.9% say recognition is a core driver of performance and engagement at their organisation, while 43.3% admit their approach is either informal and inconsistent or not strategically aligned.

Seniority shapes perception too: C-Suite respondents (29%) are considerably more likely than HR (18%) or IC (20%) professionals to describe recognition as a core driver – a pattern that echoes throughout the data, where confidence in EX is highest where decisions are made and lower where their consequences are managed.

The performance measurement picture reinforces the divide. Nearly half (43%) of organisations measure performance primarily on results rather than behaviours.

Leadership is broadly effective but rarely excellent.  

Net leadership effectiveness across the four dimensions surveyed -role modelling values, communicating clearly, managing change and translating strategy into action – sits between 87.5% and 89.5%. But beneath those headline numbers, ‘quite effective’ is carrying a lot of the weight. Only 39.6% of respondents rate their leaders as very effective at translating strategy into action.

The investment link is striking. Organisations spending £800k–1m on EX are nearly twice as likely (57%) as those spending £10k–99k (31%) to rate leadership as very effective at strategy execution.

Internal communications confidence is higher amongst HR leaders then IC leaders

92% of leaders say their internal communications channels are effective at reaching the audiences that matter most – the most confident finding in the entire research. But this headline figure conceals significant structural questions.

Only 30% measure IC effectiveness in real-time, while 17.7% measure only annually and 0.9% do not measure at all. This raises the question of how much confidence is evidenced and how much is assumed.   The 20-point gap between HR (50%) and IC (30%) professionals on whether channels are very effective is the largest functional difference in the entire dataset. The people who watch communications land – or not – every day are significantly less confident than those who commission them.

As organisations race to embrace artificial intelligence, a growing body of evidence suggests that the real threat to business success may not be the scale of technological disruption, but the erosion of human trust. An obsession with speed and volume of transactional processes and tasks is shaking the foundations upon which successful businesses are built -human relationships.

From AI-generated communications and automated decision making to algorithm-driven performance management and customer interactions, businesses are increasingly introducing technology into the very moments where trust is built, maintained or lost.

According to leadership specialist and CEO Adrian Cook of React, a global experiential learning consultancy, organisations are underestimating the profound impact this shift is having on employees, clients and brand reputation.

Cook commented, “Many leaders are obsessing over what AI can do for productivity, efficiency and scale. Far fewer are asking what it is doing to trust. Yet trust is the invisible force that underpins every successful organisation, every high-performing team and every strong customer relationship.”

Cook warns that as AI becomes embedded in workplace communication and decision-making, employees are becoming more sceptical of leadership messages, more suspicious of organisational motives and less confident that decisions affecting their careers are being made fairly.

At the same time, customers are increasingly questioning whether they are interacting with authentic experts or AI-generated content, while brands face growing scrutiny around transparency, accountability and authenticity.

The result is a growing trust gap.

Cook explains, “When people believe decisions are being made by systems they don’t understand, when communications feel synthetic rather than authentic, or when accountability becomes blurred between humans and technology, trust begins to break down. And when trust breaks down, performance follows.”

Research consistently links high-trust organisations with stronger employee engagement, better collaboration, greater innovation, improved wellbeing, higher customer loyalty and stronger financial performance. Conversely, low-trust environments experience higher staff turnover, reduced productivity, weaker cultures and declining customer confidence.

Cook believes the organisations most likely to succeed in the next decade will not necessarily be those with the most advanced AI capabilities, but those that maintain the strongest human relationships.

Czech businesses are increasingly looking beyond national borders for talent as demand for specialist skills continues to grow across one of Europe’s strongest labour markets, according to international employment specialist Agility EOR.

Official data from the Czech Statistical Office shows unemployment among people aged 15–74 stood at 3.2 percent in early 2026, while the Czech Labour Office reported more than 94,000 vacant positions in April. The figures highlight the challenge many employers face in sourcing experienced professionals despite the country’s strong employment market.

This pressure is reflected in Agility EOR’s own experience, with growing interest in international recruitment from Czech-based organisations over the past 12 months. According to Agility, businesses across technology, engineering, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and professional services are increasingly recruiting globally to access specialist expertise, accelerate hiring and support growth.

“The Czech Republic’s labour market remains one of the strongest in Europe, creating opportunities for businesses but also intensifying competition for highly skilled talent,” said Scott Winter, Chief HR Officer and Co-Founder at Agility EOR.

“We’ve seen a growing number of Czech employers exploring international hiring options as they seek access to specialist expertise and new ways to support growth. For many organisations, cross-border recruitment is increasingly being viewed as a strategic business decision to build a workforce that can compete internationally, support innovation and help scale more effectively.”

The trend reflects a broader shift across Central and Eastern Europe as employers respond to demographic change, digital transformation and rising demand for specialist skills. In the Czech Republic, sectors such as advanced manufacturing, engineering and technology continue to drive demand for experienced professionals.

As competition for specialist talent continues, access to international expertise is becoming an increasingly important advantage for Czech businesses to remain competitive in an interconnected economy.

https://agilityeor.com/countries/eor-czech-republic

New research highlights how major cultural moments like the World Cup are influencing workplace expectations among younger employees . Late-night England World Cup matches are set to significantly disrupt younger workers’ routines, according to new research from Matrix Booking, with more than one in three (36%) of 18-24-year-olds saying they would either be less productive or choose to work from home the following day.

The study of 2,000 UK office workers found younger employees are significantly more likely than older age groups to change how they work after a late-night game. More than a quarter (27%) also said they would rearrange meetings or workloads after a late-night match.

Among 18–24-year-olds, one in five (21%) said they would start work later than usual after a late-night match, while one in seven (15%) admitted they would call in sick the next day — compared to just 4% of UK office workers overall. A further 12% said they would pretend to have a personal appointment so they could start work later, double the national average (6%).

The findings also reflect wider expectations around flexibility and work-life balance across the entire workforce. Nearly half (48%) of UK office workers said they would feel more positive about their employer if they were offered flexibility during major sporting or cultural events, such as the option to work remotely or start later the next day.

Adjusting work around major sporting and cultural events is already relatively common among UK workers. Nearly a third (30%) said they have changed their working hours or location at least once in the past 12 months to accommodate a major event, while 15% said they had done so two to three times. Among 18–24-year-olds, this behaviour is even more pronounced, with 30% making adjustments two to three times and a further 12% doing so four to five times.

The research also suggests major sporting events could influence office attendance, with more than two in five (42%) workers saying they would be more likely to go into the office if their employer was showing the match there. This rises significantly among 18–24-year-olds, with 58% saying they would be more likely to go in.

Regional differences were also evident in the findings, with London workers among the most likely to adjust their schedules following a late-night England match. Almost a third (29%) said they would choose to work from home the following day, while 26% would start work later than usual and 25% would rearrange meetings or workloads. As a result, over a third (31%) said they would be less likely to go into the office the next day.

By contrast, workers in Wales and the South West were among the least likely to say a late-night match would affect their working patterns, with half (50%) saying it would have no impact on how they work the next day. In Northern Ireland, 62% of workers would you be more likely to go into the office on a match day if their employer was showing the game there.

Karl Breeze, CEO at Matrix Booking, said: “Major cultural moments like the World Cup are increasingly influencing how people choose to work, particularly among younger employees who place a high value on flexibility and work-life balance.

“These events also present an opportunity for employers to think differently about workplace culture and office attendance. Organisations that can create more adaptable and responsive workplaces will be better placed to support their people and build stronger, more engaged teams.”

As hybrid working continues to evolve, moments like the World Cup are becoming a real-world test of how adaptable organisations are, and how closely workplace expectations align with the priorities of today’s workforce.

*from Matrix Booking

The UK’s mean gender pay gap has fallen by 0.5% – from 11.2% last year to 10.7% – continuing a consistent but gradual downward trend. Despite almost a decade of mandatory gender pay gap reporting, progress remains slow and it would still take over 30 years to close the gap

The largest organisations with over 20,000 employees saw the biggest reduction in pay gaps at 1.6% – recording the lowest pay gaps to date among large organisations since reporting began in 2017 – despite slower progress often seen at this scale. Introduction of mandatory action plans from spring 2027 will place greater accountability on employers with 250+ staff to drive change

The UK’s gender pay gap continues to narrow, according to PwC’s latest analysis, with another year of steady progress. As the country approaches a decade of mandatory gender pay gap reporting, progress remains sluggish, highlighting the long-term nature of gender pay inequality.

The report* shows a decrease of 0.5% in both the mean and median hourly pay gaps, with the mean gap falling from 11.2% in 2024/25 to 10.7% in 2025/26, and the median from 8.6% to 8.1%. This continues a consistent downward trend since the introduction of mandatory reporting in 2017, when the mean gender pay gap stood at 13.4%.

At the current rate of progress, it is estimated that it could take over 30 years to close the gender pay gap. This highlights the need for organisations to accelerate beyond reporting towards more targeted and sustained interventions.

This year’s findings also reflect a shift in gender pay gap reporting, with policy developments across the UK and Europe, such as EU Pay Transparency Directive, placing greater focus on pay fairness and consistency, and increasing scrutiny on how organisations report on and address pay disparities.

The planned introduction of mandatory action plans for large employers in Spring 2027 will mark a significant step forward. For the first time, organisations will be required to set out how they are addressing the drivers of their pay gap alongside their reporting – reinforcing expectations around structured action and ongoing progress tracking.

Katy Bennett, workforce reporting director at PwC UK said:

“After almost a decade of mandatory reporting, the gender pay gap continues to narrow – but the pace of change remains slow. Based on current trends, incremental improvements alone will not be enough to close the gap within a generation.

“What is changing now is the expectation on organisations. Reporting has laid the foundations, but the focus is shifting firmly towards action and accountability. Mandatory action plans are an important step in helping organisations translate insight into measurable progress, ensuring that interventions are targeted, evidence based and deliver meaningful change over time.

“Those organisations that take a more strategic, data-led approach, understanding the drivers behind their pay gaps and embedding action into their day-to-day decision making, will be best placed to accelerate progress and unlock the full potential of their workforce.”

Sector overview

Sectors with higher levels of female representation, such as health, hospitality and public administration, continue to report the lowest gender pay gaps. These sectors typically have more balanced workforce composition, contributing to smaller disparities.

In contrast, financial services and related sectors continue to report the highest gender pay gaps, reflecting ongoing challenges in the representation of women in senior and higher paid roles. However, these sectors have also seen continued reductions in recent years, indicating that targeted actions can support progress over time.

Organisation size

The analysis shows that the average mean hourly pay gap decreased for organisations of all sizes, with the largest decrease of 1.6% for organisations with over 20,000 employees. This has contributed to the lowest pay gaps recorded to date among the largest organisations since reporting began in 2017. In comparison, organisations with fewer than 250 employees saw a decrease of 0.3%, while those with 250 to 499 employees saw a decrease of 0.7%. Each year, the largest employers (with 20,000 employees and more) continue to report the lowest mean hourly pay gaps, while smaller organisations typically show greater levels of volatility.

*2026 Gender Pay Gap Report, published by PwC

With the World Cup kicking off this June, the tournament will certainly create a buzz among workforces. It will undoubtedly create a significant boost in employee engagement and morale, but it can also present employers with a range of practical employment law challenges. 

Here’s a guide to the key employment issues that may arise and the practical steps employers can take to minimise risks. 

Certain Match Times Could Lead to Employees Drinking at Inappropriate Times, Affecting Their Work

With the competition taking place in the US, Canada and Mexico, many of the matches are likely to take place in the late afternoon and evening, or overnight, UK time. Attendance and fatigue could arise as issues in workplaces. Several fixtures will kick off during unsociable hours for UK viewers, with a number of fixtures taking place on weekday evenings and Sunday nights. Employers should be mindful of the potential impact this could have on employee attendance, punctuality, and performance the following day.

Travelling to or attending work under the influence of alcohol, or contrary to an employer’s rules, can have serious consequences, particularly in roles involving driving, machinery operation, or wider health and safety responsibilities. To avoid issues arising during the tournament, employers should clearly communicate expectations in advance, including any flexibility around working hours, viewing arrangements, or standards of conduct.

Having a clear Drugs & Alcohol Policy is particularly important in light of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Act, which places a duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare of employees. This includes managing the risks associated with employees attending work under the influence of alcohol, which would typically warrant disciplinary action. Managing the risks associated with employees attending work under the influence of alcohol, which would typically warrant disciplinary action.

Sickness Could Increase Across the Workforce

According to a recent survey, 1 in 3 workers have called in sick due to drinking the night before, with 22% admitting to working while hungover. With a considerable number of matches being played in the evenings and early mornings, this may see an increase in employees looking to finish early or call in sick due to overdoing it the night before. 

Managing absenteeism is incredibly important. Whether an employee is off for a day or a week, the absence is likely to put pressure not only on the employee’s workload but also on their team and wider management. If necessary, employers should communicate that unauthorised absences are unacceptable and may result in disciplinary action. Conducting return-to-work interviews is essential and will help to differentiate between legitimate and dishonest absences, such as those following post-match celebrations. Employers should also be mindful to avoid assumptions that absences are not genuine.

Request for Flexible Start Times

Rather than requesting annual leave, employees may seek some flexibility in arrangements. This may include:

• Later start times
• Temporary adjustments to shifts 
• Homeworking arrangements

Some employers may choose to accommodate this where operationally possible, as a practical alternative to managing absence. Adopting a flexible approach is likely to lead to an increase in morale, less sickness absence and ultimately an increase in productivity. It is, however, important to ensure that all requests are considered fairly and consistently to avoid any arguments of inconsistent treatment, which could lead to discrimination claims.

Inappropriate Conduct Outside the Office Can Lead to Fines 

Football is known for its rivalry, but this can become even more heightened during major events. Heightened emotions and “banter” in connection with the World Cup can lead to cases of bullying and discrimination, both online and in person, and employers must be mindful of potential discrimination and harassment issues.

It is vital that businesses have a policy on how to handle appropriate behaviour, and employees must be informed that harassment related to the event, including hostile or racist remarks about any country or individual, will not be tolerated. It is important that all employees are reminded of the disciplinary consequences if they fail to comply with the organisation’s bullying and harassment policy. 

Employees’ posts on social media accounts, even on private accounts, can also have workplace implications. Any discriminatory posts from employees could potentially lead to reputational damage to the business, and it could create a hostile environment in the workplace. 

Employers may consider taking steps to remind employees that any bullying or discriminatory behaviour will lead to disciplinary action. Employers should also check their social media policies and consider recirculating the relevant rules. Employers should signpost employees to relevant policies and the penalties they may face if such policies are breached.

As well as online activity, employers should be aware that employee conduct in public settings can also create legal and workplace risks. Employees who drink in public may be subject to a fixed penalty notice of up to £90 for being drunk and disorderly, while more serious offences can result in court proceedings and fines of up to £1,000. Local authorities can enforce Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs), which can prohibit alcohol consumption in designated public spaces. Employees who breach these restrictions may receive on-the-spot penalties of £100.

It’s important that employers have clear guidelines in place and detail the expectations of the business to their employees prior to big events. If any issues or questions arise, it’s best to talk to a specialist employment lawyer who can help.

New UK research* reveals the mistrust many people feel about the use of AI in recruitment. Almost half (49%) think it is an unfair way for employers to screen and select job candidates. Only just over one in five (22%) believe that it is fair to do this.

This mistrust of AI is reflected across the generations. As may be expected, those over 55 are most wary, with 66% feeling it is unfair to use AI in this way, but the youngest members of the workforce are also largely distrustful of it. 51% of those aged 18 to 24 believe that using AI to screen and select job candidates is unfair.

Underlining this mistrust in AI, just over four in 10 (41%) think AI should have no place at all in making recruitment decisions. They would like humans alone to screen and select candidates. A further 32% think AI can support decision making but that humans should be involved. Only 14% would be happy for AI to make recruitment decisions.

Again, it is the oldest and the youngest members of the workforce who have the most distrust of the use of AI in recruitment. 45% of those aged 55 and over and 44% of those aged 18 to 24 think humans alone should make recruitment decisions.

Younger generations are most likely to use AI-based tools to support job applications

The survey reveals that while many people distrust AI to be used by employers, a significant number of people use it themselves when applying for jobs. 27% of respondents said they have used it. Those aged 18 to 24 are mostly likely to have done so, with 32% stating AI-based tools have assisted with their job applications.

The most likely reason for AI to be used is to draft or refine CVs, with 60% of those employing AI using it for this purpose. 44% use it to prepare for assessments or interviews, 34% to draft or refine application answers and 25% to understand more about the role or the employer. 22% admitted using it during an online assessment, something that employers should be aware of and take steps to prevent.

Christopher Platts, Founder and CEO, ThriveMap said “The results of our survey show there are significant levels of distrust around the use of AI and how employers use it to screen and select candidates. There is a clear desire for humans to be ones that make the ultimate decision, with only one in seven happy for AI to make recruiting decisions by themselves. It is interesting that the youngest members of the workforce are as wary as those aged 55 and over. The fact that digital natives, who are likely to be the most AI savvy in the workforce, have this level of distrust is fascinating and potentially indicates they have had poor experiences with its use. Employers need to be transparent about how they are using AI in their recruitment process and reassure candidates that human insight is still an important part of selecting candidates.”

*Survey carried out on behalf of ThriveMap by OnePoll in February 2026 with 1,000 job seekers.

The full State of the Assessment Market 2026 report here.

New global research* reveals that ineffective engagement efforts may be adding to employee workload instead of reducing it – risking increased burnout and weakened performance rather than relief.

The findings come from The New Rules of Engagement 2026, a global study of more than 2,000 employees across 18 countries, examining how engagement, recognition, feedback and change are experienced in today’s workplace.

Evidence from the research shows that 60% of employees say they are experiencing constant change at work. Alongside this, 31% report feeling burnt out as a result of ongoing, poorly supported change. Together, the findings highlight the strain employees face in environments shaped by continual transformation.

Importantly, the research does not suggest that engagement activity causes burnout on its own. However, it shows that when ineffective engagement initiatives are layered onto constant change without clear purpose or support, they can increase cognitive load and contribute to feelings of overwhelm rather than easing pressure.

Further insight from the report also finds that engagement drivers such as recognition, feedback and communication deliver results only when they are clear, intentional and aligned to priorities. When applied inconsistently or in generic ways, these efforts fail to reinforce focus and can become part of the noise employees are already managing.

The data indicates that engagement impact weakens when activity is disconnected from outcomes. Employees who receive targeted recognition linked to performance and results demonstrate the strongest gains in effort, commitment and productivity. In contrast, ineffective engagement activity that lacks this connection delivers significantly less impact.

Taken together, the findings suggest that ineffective engagement can work against its intended purpose. In organisations already managing frequent change, poorly designed engagement efforts can unintentionally add pressure, distract attention and undermine trust.

“There’s a growing assumption that engagement can compensate for everything else happening at work,” said Phil Williams, Head of Employee Programmes at BI WORLDWIDE. “Our research shows that when engagement lacks focus and intent, it risks losing its value. What makes the difference is not more activity, but clearer direction and stronger alignment with what employees are being asked to deliver.”

Overall, the research suggests that engagement works when it guides behaviour and helps employees understand where to focus their energy. When it does not, it risks adding to the problem it is intended to solve.

*Research from BI WORLDWIDE

More than half of organisations (56%) with no history of dealing with trade unions expect that to change as a result of the Employment Rights Act reforms, according to new research*.

An overhaul of trade union laws is already underway, including greater protection for employees involved in industrial action and the removal of the 40% ballot support threshold. Further changes due in 2026 include expanded workplace access rights for union representatives.

The findings suggest employers are anticipating a significant increase in trade union activity, but experts warn many businesses are ill-equipped to respond simply because they have little or no previous experience of union engagement.

Victoria Templeton, HR Knowledge Manager at WorkNest said: “There’s a cohort of businesses whose size and structure mean they could now face union engagement for the first time and eventually requests for formal recognition. Understandably, many won’t yet have the processes, management capability or practical experience to deal with it effectively.

“As these reforms come into force, organisations could suddenly find themselves navigating requests for workplace access, collective discussions and formal recognition processes.”

Despite expecting greater union activity, just 1% of organisations described themselves as “fully prepared” for the reforms, while more than two thirds (68%) said they are either “not very prepared” or “not at all prepared”.

When asked which aspect of the reforms would create the biggest challenge, nearly a quarter of businesses (24%) identified statutory workplace access requests as their main concern, while just over a quarter (26%) pointed to increased employer responsibilities around union rights and managing industrial relations.

Only 8% said the proposed “day one” right to join a union would pose the biggest challenge. Despite these concerns, almost two thirds (65%) have not yet reviewed or updated their policies or processes in response to the reforms.

*Research from WorkNest