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Happy New Year to all our readers – as we step into a new year, we take a look at what lies ahead for workplaces and other inclusion stories making headlines.
Equality law at work – what to expect in 2026
As we approach 2026, equality and employment law across Scotland, England and Wales is set for its most significant reform in decades. Many of these changes stem from the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) and related proposals that will reshape workplace rights, employer obligations and enforcement mechanisms. For employers, professional advisers and those working in equality, diversity and inclusion, understanding what is coming (and when) is essential.
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2026 workplace trends: EDI reckoning and the end of the RTO debate
2026 will bring its own set of hurdles, with a cooling labour market and economic instability impacting hiring and productivity and AI reaching a new stage of maturity. HR teams will also have to navigate the ongoing hybrid debate and the demands of Gen Z employees. Understanding the trends shaping these changes will help people professionals adapt to the evolving world of work.
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Five D&I trends to look out for in 2026
Since Donald Trump formally took office as US president in January 2025, it’s been a period of fighting to demonstrate value for D&I professionals. Meanwhile there has been economic volatility, the prospect of complicated new legislation, and concerns for many in the function over their careers. As we look towards 2026, what will be the key concerns for D&I, and how should they navigate them?
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Risks When Using AI for Performance Reviews
Two-thirds of HR professionals use AI at work. Employers need to consider the serious legal implications before relying on AI for important tasks such as performance reviews. It introduces significant risks related to bias, fairness, and data protection.
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Why Hiring Keeps Missing the Signal in 2026
Today, the CV behaves less like a record and more like an interface. It sits between a candidate and an automated screening system, between a human and an algorithm. Its primary job is no longer to describe reality, but to pass filters.
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How The Traitors reflects society’s concerning biases
One viewer has claimed to work out that, across the first three classic series and last year’s celebrity edition, a disproportionate 40 per cent of those who were kicked out of the game within the first three murders/banishments were minority ethnic players.
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‘Send them back on a boat’: Salvation Army dismissed racist worker fairly
A Salvation Army social services worker who was summarily dismissed after saying refugees should all be “sent back on a boat” has lost his claim for unfair dismissal at the employment tribunal.
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KFC franchise employee awarded £66k following 'slave' comment
Tribunal finds claimant faced race discrimination and harassment after he was forced to work excessive hours and denied annual leave
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Kazakhstan advances discriminatory legislation restricting LGBTQ+ expression
The Kazakhstani Parliament on January 7th approved a legislative measure aiming to prohibit the public dissemination of information related to what it terms "non-traditional sexual orientation" across public spaces and media platforms. This bill is widely seen as mirroring Russia's restrictive anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
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Over 100 detained in Baku Gay nightclub raid and left allegedly humiliated by police
Labyrinth a gay nightclub in central Baku, Azerbaijan, was reportedly raided by police on December 27, with over 100 people detained in what is described as brutal conditions.
Detainees claim they were subjected to physical violence, harassment, humiliation and degrading treatment by police officers.
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UK LGBTQ+ charities are in ‘hostile environment’ amid falling donations, experts warn
Stonewall’s corporate funding halves against backdrop of US attacks on DEI and freezing of aid for LGBTQ+ causes.
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Minister blames 'slow' watchdog for trans guidance delay
Bridget Phillipson has blamed delays in publishing new guidance on single-sex spaces on the equalities watchdog's "slow" response to government requests for further information.
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