In this edition we take a look at AI in employment disputes, give you the latest on equality action plans and cover new right to work duties for sponsor licence holders. We also have an update on the long-awaited working time reforms in Germany and we have our usual round-up of news, our UK and EU horizon scanners, our Employment Rights Act tracker, our EU Pay Transparency Hub and information on forthcoming events including our annual Training Day on 25 June 2026.
AI generates many mixed views, as well as mixed results.
For some, AI has assisted in delivering invaluable efficiency and leaner process. For others, the dependency on and utilisation of AI has contributed to an increase in grievances, appeals, and employment tribunal claims that are spurious, verbose, and inaccurate. Our employment tribunal system is already dealing with a pre-AI stockpile. The system is so backlogged that some final hearings aren’t now listed to be heard until 2030. That’s not a typo. There are also genuine concerns around both parties’ ability to safeguard the possibility of a fair hearing.
That aside, with the challenges of employee and industrial relations and the pace of employment reforms, to say there’s a lot going on in employment would be an understatement. Those with an already stretched HR capability are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up and comply with what is necessary, let alone meaningfully consider its true impact.
So, what’s the answer? Should businesses be arming themselves with considerable AI capability? Or should they double down on human expertise, experience, and emotional quotient. The reality is employers should probably do both. AI isn’t going anywhere – so the key driver remains ensuring that you keep up with and implement AI in a manner that sensibly and genuinely supports your business, whilst building systems that also robustly filter out the unwelcome excess it also generates.
AI is just one of the topics we’ll be exploring in depth at our Annual Training Day on 25 June. We would be delighted to see you there, details below.
Editorial - by Ingrid McGhee
We explore how AI is reshaping workplace disputes.
Find out more here.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 will require large employers to develop and publish action plans on reducing their gender pay gap and supporting employees experiencing menopause.
Read about the changes here.
The Home Office has updated its Sponsor Guidance, expanding the obligation for sponsor licence holders to conduct right to work checks.
Find out what it means for employers here.
In Germany a draft bill on working time reform is expected to be published in June 2026. The main focus for employers will be working time recording, but the draft bill is also expected to address greater flexibility on how working time can be structured. We take a look at what it means for international HR and compliance teams here.
Our annual Employment and Immigration Training Day for in-house lawyers and senior HR professionals will be taking place in our London office on Thursday, 25 June 2026.
We will be looking at the employer of tomorrow, exploring the practical implications of the post-ERA 2025 employment law landscape, strategies to help employers manage the changes to unfair dismissal and fire and rehire coming into force in January 2027, making AI work for HR and managing the increasing use of AI in employment disputes. It promises to be a very popular event. To register, visit our registration page here.
Our Warsaw team is running a series of webinars on different aspects of the EU Pay Transparency Directive. The next in the series will take place on Wednesday, 17 June 2026. For more information, please contact Warsaw@aglaw.com.
For our Employment and Immigration Training Calendar 2026 listing all our client training events, please visit our website page here.
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