Spotlight

Spotlight on the leading stories in HR this week.

UK businesses ‘increasingly relying’ on freelancers amid hiring challenges

A growing number of UK businesses are turning to freelancers to fill skills gaps and respond to changing workforce needs.

Alessandra Pacelli - Friday, April 11, 2025

Employment Law News

Apprentice loses unfair dismissal claim following threats over lunch prank incident

A garage apprentice who threatened a colleague for allegedly tampering with his lunch has lost an employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal.

Alessandra Pacelli - Thursday, April 10, 2025

Analytics News

Gender pay gap ‘largely unchanged’ as most UK employers report disparities

Government figures show that nearly four fifths of employers filling out the UK gender pay gap report have a pay gap in favour of men.

Alessandra Pacelli - Thursday, April 10, 2025

HR Strategy News

‘This has to stop’: JPMorgan CEO tells staff to stop checking texts during meetings

The JPMorgan CEO has criticised employees for checking texts and emails during meetings, calling the behaviour "disrespectful".

Alessandra Pacelli - Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Employment Law News

‘Positive reception’: the Carer’s Leave Act one year on

A year after the Carer’s Leave Act came into effect on 6 April 2024, just over half of employees have a formal Carer’s Leave policy.

Alessandra Pacelli - Wednesday, April 9, 2025

UK workplaces are failing working mothers, research finds

UK workplaces are still falling short when it comes to supporting working mothers, according to a new report.

Alessandra Pacelli - Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Recruitment News

‘Benefits gap’ as job ads fail to match jobseekers’ priorities

UK employers risk missing out on talent due to the gap between the benefits jobseekers value and what employers are promoting in job adverts.

Alessandra Pacelli - Tuesday, April 8, 2025

HR Strategy News

‘Barriers to flexibility remain’ one year on from flexible working legislation

A year after the introduction of the Flexible Working Act, UK workers still face obstacles when requesting flexible working arrangements.

Alessandra Pacelli - Tuesday, April 8, 2025

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Latest news

Future of Work NewsWednesday, April 23, 2025

Almost half of UK’s FTSE 100 firms appoint chief AI officers

Almost half of of the UK’s FTSE 100 companies have now introduced a dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) leadership role.

Reward NewsWednesday, April 23, 2025

Pay awards ‘stuck at 3%’ for fourth consecutive quarter

Median pay awards in the first quarter of 2025 have remained unchanged from the previous three rolling quarters.

Employment Law NewsTuesday, April 22, 2025

Worker who returned from maternity leave to abandoned office awarded £25,000

A former recruitment consultant has been awarded more than £25,000 following a successful claim for maternity and pregnancy discrimination.

Must read

Editor's PicksThursday, April 17, 2025

Supreme Court ruling on definition of ‘woman’ in the Equality Act: what it means for HR

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the term “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 refers specifically to biological sex and does not include transgender women.

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