Quarterly Briefing – September 2026

In late January 2023, the UK Government published a draft Code of Practice on Dismissal and Re-engagement.

The UK's right-to-work regime is undergoing a fundamental transformation that will extend compliance obligations far beyond traditional employment relationships. From 1 October 2026, businesses engaging contractors, agency workers, platform-based workers, and complex supply chains will face new liability risks that travel up entire contracting chains. Understanding these changes and implementing the required contractual terms, substitution controls, and identity verification systems is now critical for orga

In the era of #MeToo, employers are under increasing pressure to stamp out sexual harassment in the workplace.

The UK Government has delayed implementation of a new employer duty requiring workers to be informed of their trade union rights until January 2027, while also confirming that companies must use a standardised...

Recent UK employment law decisions have reshaped how employers must approach part-time worker protection, philosophical belief discrimination, freedom of speech in academic settings, and equal pay claims. These landmark cases establish new precedents for workplace policies, disciplinary procedures, and compensation structures that could significantly impact organizational practices.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 represents the most significant overhaul of UK employment law in a generation. Whilst much of the focus has been on day-one unfair dismissal rights, guaranteed hours, and changes to family-friendly rights, employers should not overlook the substantial implications for the use of fixed-term contracts.

On 30 July 2026, Acas published a fully revised draft Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, marking the first comprehensive update since 2015. The proposed changes introduce significant new requirements around informal resolution, reasonable adjustments for disabled workers, and updated guidance on suspension, mediation, and the right to be accompanied at workplace meetings.

The autumn 2026 edition of the Reward update examines significant proposals to reform directors' remuneration reporting requirements, including changes to the DRR and removal of the annual shareholder advisory vote. It also covers FCA consultation on solo-regulated firms' remuneration, the impact of Employment Rights Act changes on share plans, equal pay reform proposals, and updates to AIM rules affecting corporate governance and remuneration disclosure.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 has been described as the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. It contains a number of reforms, the breadth and complexity of which will have a significant impact on employers.

Workers have a statutory right to be accompanied at certain disciplinary and grievance hearings by a work colleague, trade union official or certified union representative.

The Pension Schemes Act 2026 (“PSA26”) will introduce a raft of new measures for DC schemes.

The normal minimum pension age is set to increase from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028, creating important implications for pension scheme trustees and members. Understanding protected pension age provisions...

The use of AI tools (eg ChatGPT or Claude) by pension scheme members is no longer hypothetical. It is already reshaping how some complaints are drafted, framed and pursued.

The UK government has unveiled proposals for automatically consolidating small deferred pension pots through multiple consolidator schemes, addressing the growing challenge of 13 million pots worth less than £1,000. The consultation explores a federated delivery model with central oversight, examining authorisation regimes, data infrastructure requirements, and regulatory frameworks across both trust-based and contract-based pension schemes.

While buy-ins have traditionally been reserved for larger pension schemes, the risk transfer market is becoming increasingly accessible to smaller schemes. However, trustees must adjust their expectations and adopt a more pragmatic approach, as insurers offer streamlined rather than bespoke solutions to make these transactions commercially viable.

Risk transfer projects aim to reduce pension scheme risk, but they can uncover historic documentation issues and create new challenges for trustees and employers. The Sackers litigation team examines emerging legal complications from these transactions, including member complaints, unexpected obstacles that threaten deal timelines, and innovative solutions in this rapidly evolving area of pensions law.

Many DB pension schemes approaching buy-out face unexpected obstacles from legacy hybrid underpin benefits that don't fit standard insurance models. These complex benefit structures can narrow insurer appetite and complicate risk transfer, but trustees have options to simplify them through actuarial equivalence exercises before entering insurance contracts.