Age Discrimination at Work: UK Law & Examples 2026
Age discrimination remains one of the most frequently litigated areas of workplace equality law in the UK. Unlike some other protected characteristics, age discrimination can affect employees at every stage of their career — from young applicants entering the workforce to senior employees approaching retirement. For employers, the legal risks are significant. Claims under the […]
Menopause in the Workplace: Employer Legal Guide 2026
Menopause in the workplace has become a defining compliance issue for UK employers. What was once treated as a private health matter or a general wellbeing topic now sits firmly within the scope of employment law, equality risk management and organisational governance. Rising tribunal claims, updated guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), […]
Positive Action vs Positive Discrimination: Rules & Risks in 2026
Employers are under a legal duty not to unlawfully discriminate against prospective or existing employees because of a protected characteristic. However, that is not to say employers cannot take ‘positive action’ to assist certain groups of people that are potentially at a disadvantage or under-represented within their workforce. Positive action is a limited exception under […]
Workplace Harassment: Employer Liability, Duty & Claims 2026
Workplace harassment is a form of unlawful discrimination when it meets the legal test under the Equality Act 2010. Employers can be held liable for harassment carried out by employees in the course of employment unless they can show they took all reasonable steps to prevent it. Employers also have a specific statutory duty to […]
Associative Discrimination UK 2026: Employer Guide
Associative discrimination is a recognised form of direct discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. It arises where an individual is treated less favourably not because of their own protected characteristic, but because of the protected characteristic of someone they are associated with. For employers, this is an area of legal risk that is often misunderstood, […]
Indirect Discrimination UK: Employer Guide 2026
Indirect discrimination is one of the most commonly misunderstood risks under the Equality Act 2010. Employers often assume that if a policy applies to everyone equally, it cannot be discriminatory. That assumption is legally wrong. A workplace rule can be entirely neutral in wording yet unlawful in effect if it places people who share a […]
Equal Opportunities Policy: What to Include (2026)
An equal opportunities policy is a core document for UK employers that supports compliance with the Equality Act 2010, reduces exposure to discrimination claims and provides a framework for fair decision-making across recruitment and employment. This guide explains the legal position, what a policy should contain, how to use a template effectively and the risks […]
Protected Characteristics at Work (2026 UK Guide)
Protected characteristics sit at the centre of UK discrimination law. They define the legal boundaries within which employers must operate when recruiting, managing and, where necessary, dismissing staff. Under the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful to discriminate, harass or victimise someone because of a protected characteristic. These rules apply across the employment lifecycle, from […]
Employee Wellbeing Programme: Practical 2026 Employer Guide
Employee wellbeing programmes now sit at the intersection of people strategy, operational risk and legal accountability. For many UK employers, wellbeing has moved well beyond discretionary benefits or engagement initiatives and into the core of how work is designed, managed and governed. Decisions about workload, flexibility, management capability, mental health support and organisational culture increasingly […]
Employee Health Screening 2026: HR Policy & Risk
Employee health screening has moved from a niche occupational health issue to a recurring strategic decision point for HR teams. In practice, it tends to surface during periods of operational stress: rising sickness absence, safety incidents, mental health concerns, regulatory scrutiny or senior leadership pressure to “do something” about workforce health risk. Unlike many HR […]