The week’s key HR reads ☕📰

1. Is ChatGPT Safe to Use in the Private and Third Sector?
2. ‘Difficult choices’ needed to recruit more Catholics to PSNI
3. Digital ID will no longer be mandatory work requirement
4. Hiring the next manager - How to avoid repeating past mistakes.
5. Backing worker health HSENI campaign gets Belfast Lord Mayor's support.

In other news........boost your HR superpowers with our 90 minute online Skill Builder: Conducting Workplace Investigations led by leading HR Consultant, Denise Collins on 19th Feb, packed with practical tips & resources you can use straight away. More here. 🚀

1. Case Law Reviews
2. AI and Employment Law
3. DEI
4. 'Difficult choices' needed to recruit more Catholics to PSNI
5. Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack — protecting your workforce during digital disruption
6. Digital ID will no longer be mandatory work requirement
7. More than 70,000 instances of abuse against healthcare staff in past five years
8. Just in Case You Missed It...
9. HR Developments
10. Health & Safety Developments
11. Employment News in the Media
12. GB Developments
13. Free Webinars This Month

Harding v St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust [2026] EAT 2

Summary Description: 

Appeal partially allowed with extension of time being allowed where there was an oversight in submitting documents but not allowed for another which was over a year out of time.

Claimant: 

D Harding

Respondent: 

St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Practical Guidance for Employers:

A case on time limits which demonstrates the considerations that the Tribunal takes into account and the different outcomes it can give.  The first was an oversight, remedied quickly, and backed up with medical evidence.  The second was lengthy, would have a greater impact on the respondent in defending the appeal and the medical evidence did not have such a counterweight.  As a result, the first was allowed but the second was not.   In seeking an extension of time thought should be given to the effect it has on the other side to the proceedings and the extent to which they would be prejudiced – it is an important point that would be taken into account by the Tribunal.

Read the Review in full: Harding v St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust [2026]

L v Ministry of Defence; Dunn v Ministry of Defence [2025] EAT 197

Summary Description: 

Equality Act 2010 was not reinterpreted to allow for disability discrimination claims in relation to work for the armed forces.

Claimant: 

 L & Paul Dunn

Respondent: 

Ministry of Defence

Practical Guidance for Employers:

This demonstrates the fact that the Tribunals have to bear in mind the policy decisions that are made by Parliament.  In this case, the policy was clear over the development of the legislation and it was therefore not for the courts to seek to reverse that policy.  This ensures some certainty from the legislation and is a point to be considered when an argument is made for an interpretation to be made in light of human rights provisions.

Read the Review in full: L v Ministry of Defence; Dunn v Ministry of Defence [2025]

Back to Top

These case reviews were written by Jason Elliott BL.  NI Tribunal decisions are available on the OITFET website.

If you have any queries or wish to comment on the reports please feel free to contact Jason at: jasondelliott@outlook.com 

Jason Elliott was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2013 and is the Associate Head of School of Law at Ulster University. As a practising barrister, he has developed a largely civil practice representing individuals, companies and public bodies in litigation.  This covers a wide range of areas including personal injuries, wills and employment law. In terms of employment law, he has represented both applicants and respondents in the Industrial Tribunal.   At Ulster University, Jason lectures extensively on the civil areas of practise such as Equity and Trusts and delivers employment law lectures for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Remember: Our case law reviews are held in our case law section on our fully-searchable employment law hub website.

Back to Top

Law firm urges juniors to bill time to AI

A US law firm is piloting a scheme where junior lawyers devote a fifth of their billable hours to experimenting with AI – with a view to rolling the practice out globally. Ropes & Gray is exploring a pilot scheme where first-year associates spend a portion of their time looking at AI training, simulations and workflow testing. Personnel Today has more here. 

And…

Disputes Outlook 2026 Legal project management

AI-driven eDiscovery can cut costs and accelerate case preparation. Businesses should explore these tools early, ensure outputs are verified, and prepare for court guidance on GenAI use in disclosure from Lexology.

DfE reveals use ChatGPT-based tool to draft citizen email responses

Department publishes record outlining how technology has reduced a process that took 30 minutes to one lasting just 60 seconds, with plans afoot to use tool for 80% of correspondence. More from Public Technology here.

Skill Builder for HR: Making AI Work Fairly in Hiring

📅Wednesday, 28 January 2026
⏰12:30 - 14:00 ( 1 hour 30 mins )
📍Online

Part of the Skill Builder for HR: 6 x 6 series, monthly, 90-minute practical HR and employment law sessions designed exclusively for senior HR professionals and business leaders. James Hutt, Consultant from Paradigm Junction discusses how AI tools are reshaping how organisations source, screen, and select candidates and how to design recruitment workflows that use AI responsibly and transparently. More here.

AI for HR Weekly Podcast with Barry Phillips 🎙️

This week's episode: Is ChatGPT Safe to Use in the Private and Third Sector?

This week Barry Phillips asks whether the data security concerns around ChatGPT are really justified.

You can tune into the latest episode right here - or, if you’re on the move, why not take us with you?

Listen on 🎧 Spotify and 🎧 Apple Podcasts.

Simply search for “AI for HR Weekly Podcast” and enjoy expert insights anytime, anywhere.

Back to Top

Declining UK migration figures: what’s the impact on employers?

With net migration at its lowest level since 2021, UK businesses will have to reassess their talent pipelines, says Louisa Cole, Legal Director at Eversheds Sutherland, for this article in People Management.

Focusing on surface-level diversity is stopping Britain from becoming truly multicultural

Arguments about diversity in Britain often get stuck on the surface. Instead of talking about who holds power or how resources are distributed, many politicians and culture warriors obsess over the colour of faces in adverts, media and public spaces. Daniel McNeil from the University of Birmingham provides more in this article for The Conversation.

Dyspraxic worker wins disability case after misgendering colleague

A dyspraxic learning technologist who worked at the University of Manchester has won her claims for discrimination arising from disability and indirect disability discrimination, after “persistently” misgendering a transgender colleague. Karenne Sylvester said that her dyspraxia impaired her short-term memory, making it more difficult for her to consistently recall and use her colleague’s updated pronouns after their gender transition. The tribunal found that the university failed to properly consider how the employee’s disability, dyspraxia, affected her short-term memory and language processing. HR News has more on this story.

Back to Top

The Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has said "difficult choices" will be needed if the organisation is to recruit more Catholic officers. Early last year, it was reported that 66% of its 6,300 officers are "perceived" as Protestants, according to police data. More from the BBC. 

Back to Top

With cyber attacks on the rise, safeguarding your business and workforce has never been more critical. The incident at JLR not only brought its global production to a standstill — costing an estimated £50m each week — but also rippled through its supply chain, putting hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk.Here, Emily Rickard from Babners explains the impact of the attack on the workforce and outlines what you must do to protect your business and minimise the impact if an incident occurs. Access the full article here.

Back to Top

The government has dropped plans to make it a mandatory requirement for workers to sign up for digital ID to prove their right to work in the UK. Under revised plans, right-to-work checks will be done digitally by 2029, but registering for the new digital ID programme will be optional. A consultation on how digital IDs will work will be launched shortly, according to Personnel Today.

Back to Top

There have been more than 70,000 instances of abuse against healthcare staff in Northern Ireland in the past five years, figures from the Department of Health show. Across all trusts there were 59,392 incidents of physical abuse and 13,974 of verbal abuse over the period. The trust with the highest number of attacks was Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, with more than 21,000 incidents of physical abuse against staff. Belfast Live has more on this story. 

Back to Top

The Employment Law Hub is a comprehensive, jurisdiction-specific resource designed for HR professionals, legal advisors, and business leaders. It centralises essential employment law and HR updates, expertly curated and written by leading HR and legal specialists to provide reliable, practical, and authoritative insights. We have over 1,100 articles and 1000+ case law reviews. As a subscriber, you have access to all of this. Check it out the full Hub here and below are some recent articles you may have missed.....

Fair employment monitoring: A stark reminder for NI employers

Recent enforcement activity has underlined that fair employment monitoring in Northern Ireland is not optional, with a notable £2,000 fine imposed on an employer for breaches of monitoring requirements, signalling renewed focus on compliance by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI). Employers with more than 10 employees in Northern Ireland are squarely within scope and should ensure their monitoring framework is robust, current and evidenced. Adam Brett, Consultant and the employment team at Lewis Silkin delve into this issue on our Employment Law Hub here.

Digital Coaches in the Workplace: Smarter, Faster, Fairer

Artificial intelligence is transforming learning and development across workplaces. One of the most promising innovations is the digital coach - an AI-powered tool that provides employees with personalised guidance, career support, and wellbeing prompts. For HR teams, digital coaching offers the potential to deliver learning that is smarter, faster, and more consistent. Yet its use also raises important legal, ethical, and relational questions. Sarah Cochrane, Partner, Carson McDowell explores this topic more here.

Back to Top

How to appoint the next manager when you got the last one so wrong

Blair McPherson argues those recruiting to management posts, especially when it comes to C Suite and above need look beyond a successful track record elsewhere and ask questions to determine whether the experience and undoubted skills are transferable to a different set up in this article from HR Director.

Turning people strategy into practice through group coaching

Lyn Hatch, Head of Student Experience at Health Coaches Academy writes if we want to create healthier workplace cultures, we need to address the workforce as collectives, as well as individuals. Real change happens when people learn, reflect and take accountability to support each other together. You can read more from HR News.

Back to Top

HSENI campaign to protect workers’ health is backed by Belfast Lord Mayor

Belfast City Council has joined with the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) to help promote the importance of tackling major causes of work-related ill health with the aim of protecting workers’ health and wellbeing. The initiative is part of HSENI’s year-long Workplace Health Campaign addressing occupational diseases such as cancers, chronic lung conditions, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and work-related mental wellbeing. More here.

Back to Top

A former Chelsea FC employee has been spared jail for creating false refunds on tickets to defraud the club out of more than £200,000. Claire Walsh worked as an assistant treasury manager at the Premier League football club, admitted dishonestly abusing her position to obtain £208,521.65 for herself between June 8 2019 and October 23 2023. ITV News has more on this story.

A senior Google employee has claimed she was made redundant after reporting a manager who told clients stories about his swinger lifestyle and showed a nude of his wife. Victoria Woodall told an employment tribunal she was subjected to a campaign of retaliation by the company after whistleblowing on the man who was later sacked. More from the BBC:

A barrister’s claim that hundreds of people accessed details of a complaint about her held by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has been struck out by an employment tribunal (ET). Daphne Baker alleged that, as a result, working as a barrister became impossible. Legal Futures has more here. 

The Prospect union has called for voluntary exit schemes in the civil service to be halted until the Civil Service Pension Scheme backlog of cases is cleared. Prospect, which represents specialist, digital, technical and scientific officials in the civil service and wider public sector, said it is encountering “unprecedented numbers of unacceptable delays in payments to retired civil servants”. The comments come six weeks after the transfer of the scheme form MyCSP to Capita on 1 December. You can read more on this from Civil Service World.

Back to Top

NB: Please note these articles relate to GB and do not apply in Northern Ireland, unless otherwise stated.

Thousands more cases to be piled onto creaking ET system

Employment law reforms will pile thousands of extra cases onto an already stretched tribunal system, government analysis has revealed. In what is believed to be the first time the government has specified the effect of the changes, newly-published analysis projects that the volume of cases going through arbitration and the employment tribunal could increase by 17%. This would mean an extra 21,000 early conciliation notifications to Acas, 6,900 more employment tribunal cases, and 1,300 additional cases which require judicial time, such as a full hearing, the analysis estimates. More from the Law Gazette.

Why employers must get to grips with new Fair Work Agency’s powers

The new Employment Rights Act brings forward 28 individual employment reforms, including a reduced six-month qualifying period for unfair dismissal, new measures on “exploitative” zero hours contracts and new “day one” rights to statutory sick pay and paternity, parental and bereavement leave. One change which perhaps hasn’t had the attention it warrants is the establishment of the Fair Work Agency, a new single enforcement body for employment rights. Anya Duncan, Employment Partner at Addleshaw Goddard provides an overview in this article for the Scotsman.

New industrial action codes come into force next month

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has issued a draft revised code of practice on industrial action ballots and the notice to be provided for employers, and a draft revised picketing code of practice. Both have been laid before both Houses of Parliament for 40 days, during which time MPs or peers could resolve that they are not issued. Assuming that does not happen, they will both come into force in Great Britain on 18 February 2026. Personnel Today has more here.

Back to Top

MCS Lunch & Learn: Level Up Your Recruitment Strategy for 2026

📅Tuesday 20th of January 2026
⏰12 noon – 12:45 p.m.
📍Online

Think you’ve seen it all in recruitment? Think again. Join us for a free 45-minute lunchtime webinar on 20th of January 2026, hosted by Legal Island in partnership with MCS Group, and get the inside scoop on what’s really shaping hiring and how to hit the ground running in 2026.

What to expect:

• Understand how last year’s shifts in HR roles, sector trends and candidate expectations are shaping recruitment in 2026
• Explore how candidates and employers are using AI from CV optimisation to predictive hiring and what it means for your strategy
• Practical tips to reduce costs, streamline workflows and make automation work with your people, not against them

Stay ahead of salary trends, new role types and sector specific insights that will define the year ahead!
Julie will host a live Q and A with recruitment experts Rebekah Mulligan, Senior Recruitment Consultant - HR – MCS UK & Ireland and Associate Recruitment Consultant Tara Duffy, so you leave with answers, ideas and a sharper 2026 hiring toolkit.

Sign up for your free place here.

Enjoy your weekend!

Legal Island

Back to Top