658 employers named for underpaying National Minimum Wage
On 3 September, the UK government published the latest list of employers who failed to pay workers the National Minimum Wage ("NMW"). Approximately £4 million has been returned to over 27,000 workers who had been underpaid. Penalties totalling £7 million have also been issued. As always, there were some household names included, with businesses across all sectors being named and shamed. This is the first time the list has been published since the Fair Work Agency was established, with NMW enforcement now falling within its remit.
New global standard on menstruation and menopause within the workplace published
The British Standards Institution ("BSI") and the International Organisation for Standardisation ("ISO") have published new guidance supporting employees through menstruation and menopause in the workplace. Analysis carried out for BSI has found that if employees feel able to raise any challenges they are experiencing related to menstrual/menopausal health, this brings a potential productivity premium of almost £300 million a year. BS ISO 45010 - Menstruation and menopause in the workplace provides guidance for businesses, HR professionals and occupational health and safety practitioners on identifying and addressing workplace factors that may affect employees experiencing menstruation or menopause.
Employment support for disabled people
The UK government has published the Government Response to the Work and Pensions Committee's report on employment support for disabled people. The response was informed by research recently published by the Office for Equality and Opportunity - Reasonable adjustments: research into delays in decisions. Key responses include:
The recommendation that employers should be required to respond to reasonable adjustment requests within two weeks has been rejected in favour of educating and improving employers' understanding of the reasonable adjustments process.
The recommendation to improve access to assistive technology has been accepted, with the Disability Unit to launch a call for evidence.
The UK government has committed to providing further detail on the proposed "Workplace Health Provision" ("WHP") (a framework of evidence-based practices that improve workplace health). It also intends to strengthen the Disability Confident scheme and will consider the future funding of the WHP and how to incentivise employers to use it.
The UK government has also published more information on its proposed Workplace Health System at Keep Britain Working: a national growth opportunity.
The proposed system is intended to reduce health-related job losses, improve disability inclusion and increase labour market participation.
Data Protection - Transfer of ICO function to Information Commission on 30 September 2026
With effect from 30 September 2026, the Information Commissioner's Office ("ICO") was abolished and its functions taken over by the Information Commission. The ICO operated with powers and responsibilities vested in one individual, the Information Commissioner. The Information Commission will be a body corporate with non-executive and executive members and collective responsibility for decision-making. The new governance model is intended to bring together a broader range of skills, experience and perspectives at the top of the organisation.
