With the Employment Rights Bill reaching Royal Assent and becoming the Employment Rights Act 2025, deadlines for enhanced employee protections are fast approaching, and many UK employers are already aligning their workplace policies with legislative changes.
New research from Barnett Waddingham, part of Howden, reveals a snapshot of the business policies being offered in alignment with the act, revealing a strategic focus on prevention and protection, as companies prepare for the enhanced protections surrounding workplace sexual harassment and modifications to whistleblowing laws.
Thinking about employee policies, which of the following are you as a company already doing across your business?*
Taking all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workforce – 86%
Taking all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees by third parties – 85%
Offering bereavement leave to all employees – 83%
Offering parental leave from day one – 82%
Offering a whistleblowing system that all employees understand – 74%
Offering workers on low or zero-hour contracts a predictable working pattern – 67%
Julia Turney, Partner and Head of Platform and Benefits at Barnett Waddingham, commented: “As the Employment Rights Act becomes law, the next deadline businesses are looking to is April as they prepare for enhanced protections surrounding whistleblowing and workplace sexual harassment. With the new law already sending ripples through workplace policy, it’s encouraging that four in five employers were already protecting their workforce from sexual harassment, with many others offering accessible whistleblowing systems to all employees. We must hope that the one in five who were lagging behind when this research was conducted have rectified that – the mandate is non-negotiable.
“Through to 2027, we’ll see the rest of the Employment Rights Act rolled out to businesses, which will mean further legislative updates and a need for continuous policy review, particularly around areas like family-friendly and flexible working. At this time, it’s vital that businesses continue to review robust data on their policies to accurately assess risk and ensure ongoing compliance with the rapidly evolving legislation.”
Methodology:
*Barnett Waddingham commissioned Censuswide to survey 500 UK Senior HR Professionals, Business owners, and CEOs OR COOs – at least 350 being from Senior HR functions (i.e., Chief People Officers, HR non-directors and HR Directors). Research was conducted in August 2025.
About Barnett Waddingham
Barnett Waddingham (BW), part of Howden, is a leading UK consultancy at the forefront of risk, pensions, investment, and insurance. We act as a trusted partner for a wide range of clients in both the private and public sectors – this includes 24% of FTSE 100 and more than 15% of FTSE 350 companies.
BW comprises over 1,700 people, with a national presence across multiple UK offices, each delivering on BW’s values and promise, ensuring the highest levels of trust, integrity, and quality.
Everything BW stands for is embedded in its promise – to do the right thing. This meaningful principle is applied across all aspects of the business with continued success. Our forward-thinking approach allows us to take a long-term view with all clients and bring strategic, creative solutions to the table.
