Resource Category: Initial training

Training records are the primary evidence base when an employer’s compliance with legal obligations is tested – whether in an employment tribunal, an EHRC investigation, a regulatory supervisory visit or an internal audit. The question is not only whether records exist, but whether they contain the right information, whether they are sufficiently detailed to address…

When an employment tribunal or regulator scrutinises an employer’s training programme, the question is not simply whether training took place. It is whether the training was of sufficient quality to change how managers behave – and whether there is evidence to support that conclusion. CPD accreditation, awarded by an independent body against defined standards of…

The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 changed the compliance question for employers from reactive to proactive. Before October 2024, the legal standard was whether an employer had taken reasonable steps to prevent harassment – a defence invoked after a complaint had been made. The positive duty introduced by the Act requires…

Knowing that managers need whistleblowing training is one thing. Being able to demonstrate compliance to a tribunal, regulator or senior leadership that your organisation has met its training obligations is another. For HR and compliance professionals, the gap between “we have done the training” and “we can demonstrate compliance” is where enforcement risk lives. This…

ACAS codes of practice are not legally binding in the way that statutes are. But they carry significant legal weight: employment tribunals are required to take them into account when assessing whether an employer acted reasonably, and can adjust compensation by up to 25% where either party has unreasonably failed to follow them. For managers…

For organisations operating in regulated sectors – financial services, healthcare, legal, energy and others – manager training is not simply a matter of employment law compliance. Manager training sits at the intersection of sector-specific regulatory requirements, general employment obligations under PIDA and the Worker Protection Act 2023, and the evidential expectations of multiple regulatory audiences.…

Whistleblowing in the UK is governed by a layered legal framework that has evolved significantly since 1998. At its foundation sits the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA), amended and extended by subsequent legislation including the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025). Understanding this legal framework – what it protects, who it covers, and what…

The short answer is yes – in several distinct ways. Untrained managers create conditions for higher tribunal awards through the Worker Protection Act 2023 compensation uplift, the collapse of the Equality Act reasonable steps defence, ACAS uplift for procedural failures, and the uncapped compensation regime that applies to discrimination and whistleblowing claims. This article sets…

The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 placed a positive duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers. In force since October 2024, the duty is enforced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and by employment tribunals, which can uplift compensation by up to…

The EU Whistleblowing Directive (Directive 2019/1937) required all EU member states to transpose a minimum standard of whistleblower protection into national law by December 2021. For UK-based multinationals with operations, subsidiaries or employees in the EU, the Directive creates legal obligations that run in parallel to – and in some respects beyond – the UK…

Most organisations have a whistleblowing policy. Far fewer can demonstrate that their managers have been trained to act on it correctly. That gap carries real legal consequences and risks. When a protected disclosure is mishandled – through ignorance rather than intent – the employment tribunal does not distinguish between the two. This article sets out…

The Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025) is the most significant overhaul of UK employment law in a generation. Receiving Royal Assent in December 2025, its first wave of provisions came into force on 6 April 2026. For HR, compliance and L&D professionals, the Employment Rights Act implications extend well beyond the headline changes to…