Good Employers Shouldn't Need New Legislation to Tell Them How to Treat People

UK employment law is changing — and businesses need to be ready.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is introducing a series of changes to workplace rights and employer responsibilities, with several important measures coming into effect this autumn.

From 1 October, the time limit for bringing most Employment Tribunal claims will increase from three months to six. From 30 October, employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment at work, with greater responsibility for protecting employees from harassment by third parties such as customers and clients.

Further changes will follow during 2027.

For businesses, that inevitably means reviewing policies, understanding new responsibilities and making sure the organisation remains compliant.

All of that matters.

But perhaps there is a bigger question worth asking.

Should good employers really need legislation to tell them how people should be treated at work?

Employment law provides an essential framework. It establishes minimum standards and gives employees protection when things go wrong.

But legislation alone doesn’t create a good workplace.

People remember whether they were listened to. Whether their manager noticed when something wasn’t right. Whether concerns were taken seriously. Whether good work was recognised. Whether they felt able to speak honestly without worrying about the consequences.

None of those things requires a complicated HR initiative.

They require good management.

There is also a tendency to think of treating employees well as something slightly separate from commercial performance — a ‘people’ issue rather than a business issue.

In reality, the two are closely connected.

People who feel respected and valued are more likely to stay. When experienced employees leave, knowledge goes with them and recruitment and training costs follow. Poor workplace cultures consume management time, create conflict and can ultimately damage relationships with customers as well as employees.

Conversely, businesses that create trust tend to hear about problems earlier. People are more willing to contribute ideas, challenge inefficient ways of working and take responsibility.

That doesn’t mean every workplace needs beanbags, free lunches or an endless programme of wellbeing initiatives.

Often the things that matter are much simpler.

Clear expectations. Fairness. Communication. Flexibility where it is possible. Recognition when somebody has done a good job. And managers who actually know the people working for them.

As employment regulation continues to evolve, businesses will rightly focus on what they are legally required to do.

Perhaps the more interesting question is what kind of employer they want to be when nobody is forcing them to do it.

Because treating people well isn’t simply an HR policy.

It’s part of running a good business.