There’s a lot of noise right now about the upcoming Employment Rights Bill (ERB) reforms. These changes are set to reshape how organisations handle employee relations, and like it or not, your managers are going to be on the front line.

You will be hearing plenty of people saying, ‘we need to wait and see what the changes are before acting’. But there is a lot your organisation can be doing now to prepare for the changes.

Here’s what you can do to get ahead.

Training is your First Line of Defence

If your managers aren’t confident handling employee relations issues early and effectively, now’s the time to change that.

You can invest in practical, scenario-based training that helps managers to:

• Spot issues (we’re talking performance, attendance, conduct) before they escalate
• How to have difficult conversations
• How to make reasonable disciplinary decisions – we’ve developed a tool to help with this here
• What good documentation (or showing their workings) looks like when they’re conducting an investigation

Managers who are skilled in the ‘how to’ in will cope better with any changes in procedure that are needed when the Bill becomes law.

We’ve developed this specific training course to support organisations with this preparation, you can view an example programme here.

We are also keeping our ear to the ground on the developments as the ERB moves through each stage. You can view our tracker here to keep as up to date as possible.

Shift your ER culture from reactive to proactive

A strong, proactive ER culture isn’t just about avoiding disputes—it’s about creating stability, improving employee experience, and ensuring compliance in a rapidly changing landscape.

In this practical, insight-packed webinar with our people experts, we share a tried and tested model you can use now to evaluate your ER culture. Watch on-demand here.

Encourage open conversation and strength in vulnerability

Let your people know it’s okay not to know everything, as long as they’re willing to ask for support. And create a space where good conversations can thrive.

Culture isn’t built in a day—and you don’t want to be trying to shift mindsets the week before new rules take effect.

And remember, HR doesn’t have to have all the answers either —but you can be the enabler of better conversations.