I’ll be upfront with you, writing this feels a little like talking myself out of a job. But after twenty years of working in HR, there are things that need to be said, and I’d rather say them honestly than pretend everything is fine.
As a business owner, you have enough to think about without wading through pages of government legislation. But the changes that came into effect on 6th April 2026 under the Employment Rights Act 2025 are not the kind you can afford to overlook. They are significant, they are already in force, and non-compliance carries real consequences.
Part of my role at Rebox HR is making sure business owners understand what these changes actually mean in practice — not just in legal terms, but for the day-to-day running of their businesses. So here is a clear, plain-English breakdown of what has changed and what you need to be doing about it.
I won’t pretend it hasn’t been a while since I sat down to write a proper update. The honest reason is that we have been genuinely flat out — and while that’s a good problem to have, it does mean the blog has taken a back seat. So here’s a proper catch-up on everything that has been happening at Rebox HR so far this year.
Let’s be honest – December in the workplace is absolute carnage, isn’t it?
Secret Santa gone wrong. Someone’s ordered three pairs of shoes on company time. Dave from Accounts is three sheets to the wind at 2pm. And don’t even get me started on the passive-aggressive battle royale over who gets Christmas week off.
Let me start with something I say at least ten times a week in my HR consultancy, Rebox HR: You do not have an automatic right to work from home in the UK. Not even in 2025. Not even after all the changes to flexible working legislation that came into force in April 2024.
And judging by the conversations I’m having with both employees and employers, this seems to be one of the most misunderstood aspects of current employment law. So let’s clear this up once and for all, shall we?