Bright Horizons looks at public policy changes and what lies ahead for industry

This month, the public policy agenda seems to be all about contrasts and the balancing, or juggling, of different agendas.

Much has happened for employers since the October 10th publication of the Employment Rights Bill.

Immediately following the Bill’s release, the leading employers we work with at Bright Horizons engaged positively with the measures set to enhance family-inclusion, such as:

Making work pay

Making existing entitlements to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave available from ‘Day 1’ of employment (and enabling parents to take their paternity leave and pay after shared parental leave and pay).
The intended new right to unpaid bereavement leave, allowing employees to take leave from work to grieve the loss of a loved one
New protections from dismissal for those who are pregnant and for six months after return to work for people of any gender taking maternity, adoption or shared parental leave.
Strengthening the existing ‘Day 1’ right to request flexible working.

The employer can still turn down the request for one of eight grounds but must now demonstrate that the refusal is reasonable.

The government has provided helpful summary factsheets for these and more.

Despite the far-reaching implications of the Bill, it was what happened at the end of October, in the Budget, that drew much more comment from employers.

The CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and IoD (Institute of Directors) have both reported that the rising costs of employment potentially run counter to the aim for growth in the economy, given the April 2025 rise in employers National Insurance Contributions to 15% the lower threshold for payment of Employer NI and the rise in Minimum Wage.

That said, the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) sees rising confidence in hiring, especially in London – tempered by the budget but with overall trends strong.

Getting Britain working

Firmly in the direction of growth however, the Government has launched its Get Britain Working White Paper, described as “the biggest reform to employment support for a generation”. The premise here is that “To get Britain growing again, we’ve got to get Britain working again.”

The 68 pages contain measures:

To tackle economic inactivity caused by ill health
To create a new jobs and careers service to support more people into work and to help them progress in work
And the offer of a “Youth Guarantee”, which means every 18–21-year-old in England will have access to an apprenticeship, quality training and education opportunities or will be provided with help to find a job.

When caring clashes with career

The joint ministerial forward to the Get Britain Working White Paper lists groups that are economically inactive and in need of support to work.

It includes “women often caring for elderly relatives, who have huge experience to offer employers but far too few opportunities”.

It does not mention the phenomenon picked up in news of mothers (in particular) giving up work to support and advocate for their children with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

A whole thread spans out from this on Mumsnet with many sharing their experience of careers set aside in order to care, and raising the question of whether dual career families really work, especially when additional needs arise.

In light of International Men’s Day on 19th November and Movember’s focus on men’s wellbeing, employers are also very aware of the needs of working fathers, as Angela Stalker captures in this HRreview feature.

It was also really insightful hearing from Marek Broniewski, SVP EMEA Regulatory Reward at Citi who joined our panel at the wonderful Inclusive Workplace conference to bring a dad’s perspective on what employers can do to ensure inclusion.

What everyone seems to agree on is the need for more support. There is a definite role for employers here.

Our Back-Up Care team knows how much working carers and parents want to continue delivering at work while caring for their loved ones – something Marek underlined given his use of the service – and our Speak to An Expert team knows the complex day-to-day challenges they navigate and how access to practical advice can be transformational.