2026 will bring the biggest employment law changes in a generation. With the 2016 “golden era” trending on social media right now, the leading HR and employment law experts at Peninsula are participating in the #throwback, taking stock of just how much has changed in the HR landscape over the past decade.
Alan Price, Peninsula Group Global Chief Operations Officer, who has worked at Peninsula since 2003, says: “2016 was a challenging year for UK employers with the main headline being the Brexit referendum. Although the changes weren’t formalised for some time after, many of our clients told us that this was a difficult and uncertain time for their businesses.
“1st April 2016 saw the introduction of the National Living Wage for employees aged 25 and over; it came in at £7.20 an hour.
“We also saw employers with 250+ employees being required to publish five different statistics on pay within their business to highlight differences in pay between men and women. Pay included basic salary, paid leave, maternity pay, sick pay, shift premiums, allowances and bonus pay – this was onerous for HR departments, but important on ensuring bigger steps were made towards closing the gender pay gap.
“The world of HR technology is also constantly changing, over the last 10 years we’ve seen the integration of mobile phones and apps into our daily lives and now the normalisation of AI, and the challenges and opportunities it poses, is another area businesses need to navigate.
“It feels like there’s always something, but that’s exactly why I love working in HR. No two days are the same. Looking back and seeing how many changes we have navigated through since 2016 makes me confident for the year ahead.
“2026 is set to be a huge year full of changes in employment law. In April, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be paid to all workers, regardless of earnings from day one of absence, no more three-day waiting period.
“We will also see the service requirement for both paternity and parental leave removed, giving all eligible employees a day one right.
“By October employees will become liable for third-party harassment and must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. Reforms on firing and rehiring and trade unions will also come into play – its set to be a very busy period for employers”