First published on Monday, July 27, 2026
Last updated on Monday, July 27, 2026
It didn’t come home, but 3.8 million people stayed there
It’s been a summer to remember. Football fever swept the country, and BrightHR was in the news reporting on sickness, lateness and absence during the tournament. Shift times dropped by 33%, sickness reached 3.8 million days, and UK workers took 84 million days of annual leave. And all that came at a total cost of £10.6 billion to the economy.
The real winners were employers who embraced the spirit of the tournament and offered later starts and early finishes to fit around matches. If you’re going to offer flexible working, make sure you offer it fairly.
While we wait for Euro 2028, take a look at the full stats, including a 3045% rise in heat-related illness, which player’s home city was the sickest, and what BBQ food is best avoided. Download the BrightHR Work Cup for free here: https://brighthr.com/download-centre/infographics/the-work-cup/
Tackling sexual harassment is a legal requirement
According to recent research, a third of UK employers haven’t implemented steps to tackle sexual harassment.
The laws around how you treat sexual harassment have already changed: in April 2026, sexual harassment became a protected disclosure, which means mishandling could trigger a whistleblowing breach. And from 1st October 2026, employers must take ‘all reasonable steps’ to tackle sexual harassment, including from third parties like suppliers or customers. If you’re in the 34% of employers who have never conducted a sexual harassment risk assessment, you won’t have any evidence of a proactive approach to show a tribunal.
My advice is simple: get a risk assessment, train your managers on how to respond to a disclosure, and get a policy that makes your staff aware of their rights and reporting avenues.
Salary bands on job ads may soon be mandatory
The government has launched a consultation on equal pay and pay discrimination, which will make it easier for employees to identify discrepancies and challenge their employer.
Stakeholders, including employers, have been invited to contribute to ideas including putting salary details on job adverts, a new enforcement unit, and ways to reduce tribunal backlogs. The second phase of the consultation asks for views on levelling up protections against pay discrimination.
Although this is still at consultation stage, it raises questions for employers. How do you justify your pay structure? When was the last time you did a pay audit? And do you know what to do if you are accused of pay discrimination? If you have any concerns, speak to the employment law experts at BrightHR.
And that’s a wrap from me. Tune in next time for my take on the latest headlines and employment law stories, helping keep your business ahead!
