Employers need stability, not more employment law change

By Sarah Buxton

Employment law reform should create greater clarity for employers. Instead, many dental practice owners are struggling with change fatigue. Sarah Buxton asks whether policymakers have lost sight of the realities facing those expected to put each new requirement into practice.

I am going to say something that increasingly feels unfashionable in employment law circles.

Employers do not need any more change.

For the last few years, businesses have been trying to keep pace with wave after wave of employment law reform. New family leave rights. Changes to statutory sick pay. Enhanced whistleblowing protections. New harassment duties. Trade union reforms. Changes to tribunal limitation periods. The list seems endless. Recent reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 alone are continuing to roll out throughout 2026 and into 2027.

Whilst politicians, trade unions and policy makers debate what should happen next, employers are left trying to work out what has already happened.

The reality is that most business owners are not spending their evenings reading consultations or attending employment law webinars. They are trying to recruit staff, retain good people, manage rising costs and keep their businesses profitable.

In the dental sector, many practice owners I speak to are experiencing genuine change fatigue.

Nobody has had time to digest the last round of changes

Good employment law should create certainty. Unfortunately, the current landscape feels like the opposite.

Businesses have barely had time to update contracts, policies, handbooks and management training to reflect recent legislative changes before the next consultation arrives.

At some point we need to stop asking, "What should change next?" and start asking, "Have employers had a realistic opportunity to implement what has already changed?"

Legislation only works if people understand it.

Constant reform creates confusion, inconsistency and risk.

ACAS is losing sight of workplace reality

The latest ACAS consultation on a new Code of Practice for disciplinary and grievance procedures is a perfect example. The stated objective sounds entirely reasonable. ACAS wants workplaces to resolve conflict earlier, more informally and more constructively. Nobody would disagree with that principle. The problem lies in the practical application.

The draft Code reportedly places much greater emphasis on informal resolution and brings those informal processes closer to the formal statutory framework.

In practice, it feels detached from the realities facing employers. Business owners are already expected to:

• investigate concerns fairly;

• conduct disciplinary processes correctly;

• manage grievances appropriately;

• maintain confidentiality;

• comply with discrimination law;

• comply with harassment obligations;

• protect employee wellbeing;

• document every stage of the process; and

• avoid tribunal claims.

  
  

Now we appear to be heading towards a position where employers may have to justify not only what formal steps they took but whether they pursued enough informal resolution first.

For many employers, particularly small businesses, that feels like yet another layer of procedural complexity.

What problem are we actually trying to solve?

Sometimes employment law suffers from a chronic inability to distinguish between poor employers and good employers.

The vast majority of employers are not looking for ways to mistreat staff.

They're trying to do the right thing.

When disputes arise, most managers already attempt informal conversations before launching formal procedures. They do this not because a Code requires it but because it is common sense.

Good managers naturally try to resolve problems early.

The employers who create the greatest difficulties are unlikely to be transformed by additional guidance or another revised Code.

Meanwhile, responsible employers face yet more expectations, more compliance obligations and more opportunities to get things wrong.

The cost of good intentions

One of the most frustrating trends in employment law is the assumption that every new obligation is cost free.

It isn't.

Every change requires:

• policy reviews;

• management training;

• legal advice;

• updated documentation;

• additional administration; and

• management time.

  
  

For larger organisations this may be inconvenient, but for smaller employers it can be genuinely burdensome.

Many dental practices employ fewer than twenty staff. The practice owner is often simultaneously the clinical lead, business owner, HR manager and chief problem solver.

Adding further procedural expectations may seem minor from a policy perspective, but it has a cumulative impact that legislators and regulators often underestimate.

And frankly, after years of constant reform, asking businesses to absorb yet another significant change in workplace processes feels less like progress and more like policy-makers forgetting who ultimately has to make all of this work in the real world.

At Buxton Coates, we take the pressure out of keeping pace with employment law change. Our team can help you understand what the latest reforms mean, update your policies and processes, and manage workplace issues with confidence.

To find out how we can support your business, call 0330 088 2275 or email info@buxtoncoates.com.