24 Mar 2025
By Musab Hemsi, Partner at Anderson Strathern
Inclusion is no longer optional for UK businesses. With major legislative changes—including the Worker Protection Act 2023, European Accessibility Act (EAA) in 2025 and the Employment Rights Bill —companies must act now to stay compliant and create truly inclusive environments and workplaces. These reforms offer a chance for organisations to move beyond basic compliance and develop workplaces where diversity and inclusion can drive business success.
Inclusion is nothing new to the business world. Many of us will recall the major milestones included in the Equality Act 2010, which empowered individuals to demand reasonable adjustments and hold employers accountable. Since then, increasing awareness of mental health and neurodiversity has made inclusion a business imperative.
Historically, businesses focused on physical impairments, ensuring facilities were accessible. However, mental health and neurodiversity now dominate the inclusion discourse, requiring more nuanced solutions. Occupational health is a powerful but often underutilised tool in this space. Engaging proactively with occupational health professionals allows businesses to assess individual needs and create tailored, sustainable solutions.
Innovative steps can include sensory rooms for individuals with autism, providing faith-friendly or breastfeeding spaces at conferences. However, true inclusivity requires a collaborative approach, where individuals define the necessary adjustments and employers approach conversations with an open mind.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA), which comes into force in June 2025, introduces stricter digital and workplace accessibility standards. While the EAA primarily applies to UK businesses trading with the EU, its influence will extend throughout the EU and beyond its borders, setting higher expectations for digital inclusion.
A key requirement of the EAA is that businesses conduct Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) to evaluate how their products and services affect individuals with protected characteristics. This process identifies practical steps to improve accessibility, ensuring that services are inclusive from the outset.
AI-powered recruitment platforms and other virtual tools, while enhancing efficiency, carry the risk of unintentionally reinforcing biases and leading to discriminatory outcomes. Without careful oversight, these systems can perpetuate inequality, exposing businesses to legal and reputational risks.
To mitigate this, companies should proactively assess, test and refine their digital systems. Engaging a legal specialist during the implementation of new technologies ensures compliance with best practices and helps safeguard against potential discrimination claims in the future.
The Employment Rights Bill will likely strengthen employer responsibilities around neurodiversity, mental health, flexible working, and workplace accessibility. It signals a move toward digital inclusion, ensuring that remote and hybrid work environments are as inclusive as traditional office settings.
For small businesses, complying with evolving laws may seem overwhelming. However, taking steps such as conducting EQIAs, risk assessments, and engaging employees through surveys, can be managed internally at little or no financial cost. The key is to engage staff genuinely and seek feedback on their needs.
For forward-thinking businesses, these upcoming legal reforms present an opportunity to build inclusive workplaces that attract and retain top talent. Inclusive practices can enhance employee satisfaction, boost retention rates, and improve customer experiences.
The time to act is now. Businesses that lead on inclusion today will be best positioned to thrive in a more diverse and inclusive future.
