Festive fun or festive fallout? HR lessons from the year end

In our last employment podcast of the year Claire Taylor- Evans, Partner and Harjeet Nangla, Senior Associate discuss what might be on HR’s 2025 Christmas Wish List.

Can you spot the festive song lyrics throughout the episode?

The discussion starts with the risk of workplace Christmas parties, looking at employer liability, festive misconduct and the heightened obligations introduced by the Worker Protection Act. Claire and Harjeet unpack what “reasonable steps” really mean, the role of risk assessments, training and workplace culture, and how the EHRC is beginning to use its enforcement powers.

The conversation then turns to the long-awaited Employment Rights Bill, soon to become the Employment Rights Act 2025. The episode provides a practical overview of what’s changing, when those changes are expected to take effect, and why employers should start planning now. 

Finally, the episode addresses the rise in restructures and redundancies amid economic uncertainty. Claire and Harjeet highlight common pitfalls around collective redundancy thresholds, settlement agreements and voluntary redundancies, and explain why early HR involvement and robust tracking are critical to avoiding costly mistakes.

A festive but practical end-of-year episode packed with insights to help HR teams stay compliant, reduce risk and prepare for what lies ahead in 2026 and beyond.