What is HR Hype? | About Lawble’s Employment Intelligence Publication
HR Hype is Lawble’s employment intelligence publication, created for employers, HR professionals, business leaders and workplace decision-makers who want to understand not only what is happening in the world of work, but why it matters. Unlike traditional HR websites that focus primarily on guidance or compliance, HR Hype provides context, analysis and informed commentary on […]
Employment Rights Act 2025: ERA Guide 2026
The Employment Rights Act 2025 will bring in the most wide-ranging restructuring of UK employment law in a generation. Rather than introducing a single set of immediate changes, the Act establishes a new legal framework that expands worker protections, reshapes employer obligations and rebalances risk across the employment relationship over a phased implementation period running […]
UK Overtime Pay Rules for Employers
Overtime plays a central role in UK workforce planning, allowing employers to manage fluctuations in demand while offering workers opportunities to earn additional income. Despite its widespread use, the rules governing overtime pay are regularly misunderstood. Unclear policies, inconsistent practices and incorrect assumptions about legal entitlements frequently lead to disputes, burnout risks and potential employment […]
Holiday Pay on Overtime: Employer Legal Guide
Overtime is a routine feature of workforce planning across many UK sectors, yet it continues to generate uncertainty when employers calculate statutory holiday pay. The central question is whether, and when, overtime must be included so that workers receive their “normal remuneration” during periods of annual leave. UK case law has made clear that where […]
When Regular Overtime Becomes Contractual
Questions about when regular overtime becomes contractual arise frequently in UK workplaces. HR teams, line managers and payroll professionals often need clarity on whether overtime can be insisted upon, whether an employee has a right to be paid for it, and how overtime affects pay calculations such as holiday pay and pay in lieu of […]
Voluntary Overtime Pay: UK Employer Guide
Voluntary overtime can provide valuable flexibility for employers managing fluctuating workloads, staff shortages, or time-critical business demands. However, employers must ensure any voluntary overtime arrangements comply with UK employment law, including correct pay, working time limits, and holiday pay calculations. Mismanaging voluntary overtime exposes employers to risks such as unlawful deduction of wages claims, Working […]
Can You Be Forced to Work Overtime in the UK?
Overtime is a critical workforce tool for UK employers, supporting continuity during peak demand, staffing shortages and urgent project deadlines. Whether additional hours can be required is governed by contractual rights, statutory protections and essential safeguards under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR). Employers and HR teams must understand the limits of lawful instruction to […]
Overtime Tax UK: Employer Rules & Payroll Guide
Overtime pay is a standard feature of workforce operations across many UK industries, yet the taxation of overtime remains a frequent source of misunderstanding for both employers and employees. Because overtime earnings fluctuate, take-home pay can vary significantly from one pay period to the next, often raising questions about how deductions are calculated and why […]
UK National Minimum Wage Guide for Employers 2026
The UK National Minimum Wage (NMW) framework sets the legal minimum that most workers must be paid, with rates varying by age and apprentice status. Together with the National Living Wage (NLW), it creates a statutory pay floor that employers cannot lawfully undercut. As an employer, you are under a legal duty to pay at […]
National Living Wage: Employer Legal Guide 2026
The National Living Wage (NLW) is a core element of the UK’s statutory pay framework. It sets a legal hourly minimum that most workers aged 21 and over must receive, and it plays a central role in how employers manage pay, control workforce costs and demonstrate compliance with employment law. For organisations of every size […]
National Minimum Wage Act 1998: Employer Guide
The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 represents a major turning point in UK labour protection, creating a single statutory floor below which lawful pay cannot fall. Before the national minimum wage was introduced, large parts of the labour market had no effective statutory pay safeguard. The dismantling of the old Wages Councils system in the […]
UK Minimum Wage Guide for Employers 2025–2026
By law, UK employers must meet specific obligations in relation to workers’ pay under the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) framework. Minimum wage rules set a statutory floor for hourly pay and apply across most sectors and working patterns. Getting the detail wrong can lead to arrears, penalties and reputational risk, […]
UK Employer Guide: Pay & Deductions
Ensuring that workers are paid correctly and on time is one of the most important legal responsibilities for any UK employer. A wide framework of legislation governs pay accuracy, minimum pay entitlements, itemised payslips, statutory sick pay, workplace pensions and the limited situations in which deductions from wages are allowed. Employers must also understand how […]
UK Employment Law: Hours and Pay
UK employers have extensive statutory obligations around pay, working hours, breaks and the treatment of different categories of staff. These laws set a baseline of protection for both employees and limb (b) workers, while still allowing organisations room to design working patterns that meet operational and commercial needs. A solid grasp of the key legislation, […]
National Minimum Wage Rates
Under UK law, employers are required to pay at least a minimum hourly rate for the hours someone works under the National Minimum Wage rules. Since April 2024, the National Living Wage applies to workers aged 21 or over. For workers aged under 21 and for apprentices in their first year, the National Minimum Wage […]
Prevention of Illegal Working Guide 2025
Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, it is unlawful for an employer to employ someone who does not have the legal right to work in the UK, or who is working in breach of the conditions of their immigration permission. Employers in the UK are required by law to comply with the prevention […]
UK Employment Appeal Tribunal Upholds Jurisdiction Over CNN Journalist’s Claims
Cable News International Inc v Saima Bhatti [2025] EAT 63 On 6 May 2025, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) upheld the decision allowing journalist Saima Mohsin (legal name: Saima Bhatti) to pursue claims of unfair dismissal, discrimination, and equal pay in the UK against CNN’s international arm, despite her employment contract being governed by US […]
Remote Work Probation: Assessment Strategies
The widespread shift toward remote and hybrid working has reshaped the modern workplace. While these flexible models offer numerous benefits — including improved work-life balance and access to a wider talent pool — they have also introduced new complexities for employers. One of the most important is how to effectively manage probation periods when employees […]
Probation and Gig Workers: UK Employer Guide
The traditional probationary period — a defined phase during which an employee’s suitability is assessed — has long been embedded in UK employment practice. However, the rise of the gig economy, with its emphasis on short-term, flexible engagements, challenges this conventional concept. For businesses engaging freelancers, contractors, or gig workers, managing initial periods of work […]
Probation, Maternity & Family Leave: A Guide
Probation periods are a valuable tool in the employment relationship, offering a defined window for employers to assess whether a new employee is a good fit for the role. But what happens when a probation period coincides with statutory family leave — such as maternity, paternity, or adoption leave? These overlapping scenarios are increasingly common […]