We recently covered the key changes that came into force under the Employment Rights Act 2025, including updates to:

• Family leave rights
• Statutory Sick Pay
• Trade union recognition
• Sexual harassment protections
• Holiday record-keeping

You can read our full breakdown here, along with practical guidance on what employers need to do next.

Alongside these legal changes, the usual annual updates also took effect in April, including:

• National Living Wage (21+) increased to £12.71 per hour
• 18–20 year olds: £10.85 per hour
• 16–17 year olds and apprentices: £8.00 per hour
• Statutory Sick Pay increased to £123.25 per week
• Family-related statutory pay increased to £194.32 per week
• The cap on a week’s pay (used for redundancy and unfair dismissal calculations) increased to £751
• The maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal increased to £123,543

If you’re unsure how any of these changes affect your business, our HR and employment law specialists can help you review your position. Contact us today.

The Vento bands (used by Employment Tribunals to assess compensation for injury to feelings in discrimination cases) were updated from 6 April 2026.

For claims presented on or after that date, the bands are:

• Lower band: £1,300 to £12,600
• Middle band: £12,600 to £37,700
• Upper band: £37,700 to £62,900
• In the most serious cases, awards can exceed £62,900

These awards are designed to compensate individuals for the impact of discrimination, not to punish employers.

If you need support managing discrimination risks or handling workplace complaints, our team can guide you through this. Contact us today. 

From 6 April 2026, employers are now legally required to keep adequate records of holiday entitlement and pay for all workers.

In practice, this means keeping records of:

• Holiday taken
• Holiday carried forward
• Holiday pay (including how it was calculated)
• Payments for unused holiday on termination

These records must be kept for six years.

There’s no set format, but records must be accurate, accessible, and capable of showing compliance. Read more here. 

What employers should be doing now:

• Review how holiday is recorded and tracked
• Ensure both leave taken and pay are captured (not just payments)
• Check your systems can retain records for six years
• Consider whether your data retention policies need updating

While the requirement focuses on statutory holiday, in practice we recommend recording all holiday and pay to avoid gaps or confusion.

With the Fair Work Agency now in place and enforcement expected to follow, getting this right is important.

Most disciplinary hearings will still take place in person, typically at your workplace.

However, in some situations, a remote hearing may be appropriate, particularly for hybrid or remote workers.

To maintain flexibility, your disciplinary policy should make it clear that hearings may be held:

• In person, or
• Remotely (at the employer’s discretion)

When deciding the format, consider:

• Whether the employee is used to remote meetings
• The nature and seriousness of the issue
• Access to technology for all participants
• Any reasonable adjustments required (e.g. disability-related needs)

For remote hearings, ensure:

• Everyone can fully participate
• All documents are shared in advance
• The process remains fair and consistent

If you’re unsure, we can help you manage disciplinary processes in a way that is both fair and legally compliant. Contact us today.