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 Spring 2026
Turn the new Employment Rights Bill into practical action
By Spring 2026, it is expected the Employment Rights Bill will have Royal Assent and the first wave of changes will be in force. April 2026 brings key updates that HR teams can’t afford to miss, with further major changes due in October 2026 and beyond.
This Spring Employment Law Update focuses on what you need to have done by now – and what you need to do next. We’ll move beyond high level overviews and concentrate on practical implementation inside your organisation.
We'll cover:
- what changed at Royal Assent and what this means for trade unions and industrial action
- the April 2026 changes and how they affect your organisation day to day
- how to prepare now for the October 2026 changes.
You'll work through the changes in a practical way, including:
- a 'policy clinic' on updating paternity, parental leave, whistleblowing, sexual harassment and sick pay policies
- understanding the new trade union recognition process, TU access rights and protections for reps
- managing contract changes through Fire and Rehire in line with the new rules
- taking reasonable steps to prevent sexual and third-party harassment, including using risk assessments
- handling Employment Tribunal claims under the new six-month time limit and approaching settlements.
We’ll also give you an overview of sector-specific changes (such as adult social care, the two-tier code and tipping law) and look ahead to proposals for 2027. In addition, we will do a complete round up of recent important case law rulings.
The workshop predominantly covers England and Wales employment law and will have references to the law in Scotland. It will not cover the law in Northern Ireland.
Join our Spring Employment Law Update to make sure your organisation isn’t just aware of the new law, but fully prepared to put it into practice.
What you’ll need to do on this ‘employment law’ update.
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.
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.
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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