If your LinkedIn feed is buzzing about the new Employment Rights Bill and its impact on workplaces, you’re in the right spot for all the key insights. Join Jen Southern, Hive’s Head of People Science, as she breaks down the must-know takeaways.
“The new Employment Rights Bill is a key part of the Labour government’s plan to “make work pay.” It’s designed to create fairer workplace practices, modernise outdated employment laws, and support both businesses and employees to thrive. Some of the key changes include:
- Ending unfair practices such as zero-hour contracts and fire-and-rehire tactics.
- Introducing day-one rights—including parental leave, bereavement leave, and protection from unfair dismissal (currently only available after two years).
- Focusing on fairness and support to give employees more stability and confidence, which, in turn, is expected to boost productivity.
It’s being described as the biggest overhaul of employment laws in a generation, aimed at tackling modern challenges like flexible working and ensuring people can disconnect from work when needed
What this means for employers
For business and HR leaders, this is a great opportunity to take a step back and review how things are working in your organisation. Here are a few things to consider:
- Policy check-ups: Are your current policies fair, up to date, and ready for these changes? For example, does your approach to leave and probation periods align with the new expectations?
- Manager readiness: Your managers will need to understand and apply these changes fairly, so training and support might be required.
- Employee sentiment: Understanding how your people feel—about well-being, flexibility, and workplace support—can help you address potential challenges early.
- Unionised environments: May have more to consider around opening up the workplace for TU Reps to have more access to their members.
For organisations that already prioritise treating employees well, this might not feel like a big shift. However, smaller businesses or those without dedicated HR support may need additional guidance.
How Hive can help you prepare
At Hive, we provide tools and support to make navigating these changes simpler and more effective. Whether you’re looking to measure employee sentiment, gather insights, or create better communication channels, we’re here to help.
Here’s how Hive can support you:
1. Data-driven Insights
We specialise in turning your data into actionable insights. Through employee engagement surveys, pulse campaigns, and targeted feedback, we can help you understand how your workforce feels about key areas like flexibility, wellbeing, and fairness.
For example:
- We have hundreds of questions ready to go which are aimed at measuring the employee experience, we have EDI, Wellbeing, Workplace environment, flexible work question banks at your disposal.
- We can analyse demographic data to identify trends—like whether certain groups feel less supported or engaged.
- Our statistical tools can uncover whether these differences are meaningful, allowing you to focus on areas that matter most.
- We can track engagement and wellbeing over time, so you’re always aware of how changes are impacting your people.
2. Tools for employee voice
Hive offers tools that make it easy for employees to share their thoughts and for you to respond:
- Open Door: This is a modern take on the traditional suggestion box. Employees can submit ideas, raise concerns, or provide feedback at any time, anonymously if needed. You can customise categories—such as well-being, flexible working, or whistleblowing—so feedback goes directly to the right people. For example, some of our customers use Open Door to connect employees with mental health first aiders.
- Messenger: If a concern or suggestion is raised, Messenger lets you follow up directly while keeping the employee’s identity confidential. It’s a great way to address sensitive issues, signpost support, or ensure employees feel heard and valued.
3. Preparing for new rights
Hive’s tools can help you assess readiness for new rights such as:
- The right to disconnect: Gather feedback on work-life balance and on-call expectations, or how employees create boundaries and balance in the world of hybrid work
- Flexible working: Understand how employees feel about their current level of autonomy and flexibility.
- Day-one leave policies: Check how your policies align with the new standards and whether employees feel supported from the outset using Hives NEW onboarding survey types.
By proactively measuring sentiment around these areas, you can identify gaps, build trust, and ensure changes don’t come as a surprise.
Looking ahead
While the bill is still going through consultations and changes, it’s clear this is the direction workplaces are heading. It’s not about overhauling everything overnight, but about making thoughtful updates to ensure fairness and support for employees from day one. You might not expect to see some of these changes in practice for another 2 years.
To get started:
- Review your current policies and identify areas that might need updates.
- Use tools like Hive to listen to your employees and track progress.
- Train managers on what the changes mean and how to apply them fairly.
At Hive, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether it’s collecting data, analysing trends, or providing tools for open communication, we can help you navigate these changes confidently.
The big picture
Ultimately, these changes are about creating workplaces where employees feel secure, valued, and supported. When people feel they’re treated fairly, they’re happier, more engaged, and more productive—which is a win for everyone.
If you’d like to learn more about how Hive can support you, from surveys and data analysis to tools like Open Door and Messenger, we’d love to chat and help you get ready for what’s ahead.”
Jen Southern – Head of People Science at Hive HR
