Employment law update
Put the 2026 employment law changes into practice and get your organisation ready for the new rules.
Perfect for:
You’ll learn how to:
- explore key recent and forthcoming developments in UK employment law and what they mean for HR practice
- translate legislative and case law changes into clear, practical actions for your organisation
- review and refresh core HR policies, contracts and processes in line with updated requirements and good practice
- strengthen your approach to trade union relations, organisational change, harassment prevention and managing employment disputes
About this course
Course length: One day
Delivery: Online classes and self-directed learning
Suitable for: HR and people professionals who already know the basics of employment law and want clear, practical updates on the latest and upcoming changes.
The course is fantastic! Setting out the forthcoming legislation is so helpful with planning work for the next 12 months and identifying priority projects 
Anonymous participant, 23 October 2025
Topics for Autumn 2026
Turn the new Employment Rights Act into practical action
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is dominating the headlines, but it isn't the whole story. Case law is moving fast too, and this course brings both together so you're not caught out by what's changing on paper or what's being decided in tribunals.
This Autumn Employment Law Update gives you a clear overview of everything changing under the Employment Rights Act 2025 from October 2026, then goes deeper into the areas causing employers the most headaches: trade unions, harassment, and an Employment Tribunal system straining under a growing backlog.
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We'll cover:
- What's changing in October 2026, plus Employment Tribunals and the latest case law
- Trade unions: what every organisation needs to know
- Harassment: the new duties and how to meet them
- A look ahead to what's still coming
You'll work through the changes in a practical way, including:
- Managing tribunal claims against a growing backlog: what employers are actually doing, the real facts behind the backlog, and when it makes sense to settle
- The new trade union recognition process, access rights, and protections for reps
- Practical steps to meet the new duty to take reasonable steps against sexual and third-party harassment
- What's coming in 2027, both from the ERA 2025 and from wider reforms outside it
This workshop focuses on employment law in England and Wales, with references to Scots law. It does not cover Northern Ireland.
Join our Autumn Employment Law Update and make sure your organisation isn't just aware of the new law, but ready to put it into practice.
What you’ll need to do on this ‘employment law update’ course
This is a one-day online course. You’ll learn through facilitated online lessons, activities and group discussions.
You may be asked to complete a short pre-course activity in preparation for the course. Following the workshop, you can use the course resource pack to embed your learning and support future planning.
What you’ll get on this ‘employment law update’ course
You’ll receive a resource pack to help you support or lead effective implementation of employment law changes in your organisation.
At the end of this employment law update course, you’ll receive a certificate.To receive your certificate, you must attend 100% of the course dates as detailed below.
Taking part in this course gives you access to the CIPD Learning Hub for 12 months. Here, you can access your course content together with other valuable resources and tools. When you finish your course, you can enjoy an additional 12 months of access to other resources on the Learning Hub.
Please note, On 16 April 2025 the Supreme Court returned the ruling that the protected characteristic of “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex. The result of this ruling can be viewed on the Supreme Court website. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (the EHRC, the national equality and human rights regulator for England, Scotland and Wales) released an interim update on 25 April 2025 to help employers and others understand how to follow the law in response to the Supreme Court ruling. The EHRC is working 'at pace' to update its statutory and non-statutory guidance. We will update our content appropriately when the EHRC statutory guidance is available or changes are made.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this ‘employment law’ course, you’ll be able to:
- analyse recent and forthcoming employment law developments and evaluate their implications for organisational HR strategy and practice
- assess where contracts, policies and HR processes require amendment, and formulate a prioritised, legally robust implementation plan
- apply current legal requirements and case law when managing trade union issues, contractual change, harassment and employment disputes
- justify HR recommendations to stakeholders using relevant legislation and sector specific guidance to support decision making.
Team bookings
Interested in booking this course for your team? We offer group bookings solutions for teams of four or more people.
When your teams learn with the CIPD, they get direct access to the latest professional research and insights.
And through courses co-created with industry thought leaders and practitioners, they’ll build the skills and confidence they need to inspire action, influence change and drive business value.
We offer a wide range of Learning and Development solutions to suit employees at every level – whether in HR, L&D, OD or wider people management.
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