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It's been a busy year in employment law in 2025. Employment is often busy because it touches upon most people's lives, but with manifesto promises from Labour, it was always going to be extra busy. Much has been written recently about the Employment Rights Bill ping-ponging between the Houses of Commons and Lords, so I won't comment further on that here. Below is a round-up of what we think are the most significant events in 2025. You can read more on our blog throughout the year.
Four significant cases stand out in 2025.
Higgs v Farmor's kicked off the year in 2025 with the finding that sacking a Christian teacher over her gender critical posts was discriminatory. The trans-GC battle has been heating up and dominating social media for some considerable time now. This issue is unlikely to fade any time soon, and employers really need to pay attention to how they manage differences of beliefs and views in the workplace.
For Women Scotland, a decision in the Supreme Court held that only biological women are women for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. It does not include trans women with a gender recognition certificate. There has been much discussion of the delay in the EHRC issuing its updated guidance on how this impacts.
In no particular order, Wicked Vision, which was heard in the Court of Appeal, but which has permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. The case has the power to drastically change the law around whistleblowing. We have no idea at this point as to when it will be heard in the Supreme Court, so for now, the law is that an individual can bring a detriment claim against a dismissing manager as well as against the employing organisation.
A case with significant ramifications in the sphere of disability discrimination is the European case of Bervidi, which has not received anything like the column inches of the other cases listed above. This was a case from the Court of Cassation in Italy and concerned whether an employer is obliged to make reasonable adjustments to a role not because the employee is disabled but because they have caring responsibilities for a disabled child.
Neonatal care leave and pay came into force on 6 April 2025, enhancing the family-friendly provisions available to employees, and the third-party harassment provisions also became law.
Recent trends include the huge surge in disability discrimination claims around neurodiversity in the workplace. Periods in the workplace have also become a thing, quite why we're not sure, but surely hot on the heels of all the discussion about menopause and whether it is a disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010.
From December 2025, the Acas early conciliation period was extended (for claims arising on or after 1 December 2025) from six to twelve weeks. Whether this will have any impact on the settlement of claims or just add more delays to an already beleaguered system remains to be seen.
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