Human Times

UK Edition

13th April 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Remote working tribunal cases fall for first time since Covid

The number of employment tribunals in Great Britain related to remote working fell by 13% in 2025, marking the first decline since the pandemic began. A total of 54 cases were decided, down from 62 in 2024, as rising unemployment and a tightening labour market shifted power towards employers. Jim Moore, an employee relations expert at Hamilton Nash, noted that many workers are opting to "keep their heads down" rather than challenge return-to-office mandates. The introduction of the right to request flexible working may also have encouraged employees to resolve disputes internally.

The Guardian

AI READINESS

Report: What Your People Really Think About AI

As AI reshapes workplaces at pace, HR leaders are under pressure to cut through the noise and understand what employees actually feel about the technology. Are they excited? Anxious? Already using it without telling you? A new YouGov‑powered report reveals the truth - including the real concerns employees won’t raise in team meetings, and the practical steps HR can take to build trust, confidence and clarity during AI adoption. If preparing your organisation for AI is on your roadmap this year, this is the essential insight you’ll want in your toolkit.

Download the report here

TECHNOLOGY

UK businesses lag in AI adoption

British businesses are falling behind in AI adoption, according to a report by PwC. UK firms invest only 2% of their revenue in AI, yielding a 10% return, compared to global leaders who invest 5% and achieve a 15% return. The report highlights that only 27% of UK businesses have redesigned workflows for AI integration. Leigh Bates, global risk AI leader at PwC UK, said these figures should serve as a "wake-up call" for British companies. The UK ranked 11th out of 19 countries surveyed.

The Times

Lloyds Banking Group embraces AI board bot

Lloyds Banking Group has introduced an artificial intelligence board bot, marking a first for a UK blue-chip company. The bot, developed by Board Intelligence, assists executives in analysing confidential data and reducing human bias in decision-making. Nicola Putland, Lloyds' corporate governance director, commented: "We see real potential for AI to support decision making in boardrooms when used carefully and responsibly. We are trialling AI tools to support us to better prepare for discussions through faster analysis and access to a broader range of perspectives." The bank aims to increase the value generated by generative AI tools from £50m in 2025 to £100m this year.

Sunday Times

White-collar industries bet on a secret weapon against AI: trust

AI companies have this year released many tools designed to automate tasks across professions - but in industries where accuracy, accountability and regulation matter, trust is emerging as the critical faultline.

Financial Times

LEGAL

Crispin Odey drops libel claim against FT

Former hedge fund boss Crispin Odey has dropped his £79m libel claim against the Financial Times over its reporting of sexual misconduct allegations against him. The FT had reported on allegations from 20 women spanning five decades. Odey, who has denied the claims, acknowledged in a letter that the FT was likely to succeed in its public interest defence. FT editor Roula Khalaf said: "This is a vindication for investigative journalism and for the victims whose stories of abuse we reported." Odey now faces substantial legal costs.

Financial Times

City AM

WORKFORCE

Job seekers surge as redundancies rise

The number of people looking for work rose sharply last month, according to a report by KPMG and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) which found "demand for workers continued to weaken" in March. The report said: "UK recruitment consultancies signalled sharper increases in the availability of both permanent and temporary workers in March. Overall, the supply of labour expanded at the quickest rate in 2026 to date. There were frequent reports that redundancies and job scarcity had pushed up candidate numbers." REC chief executive Neil Carberry observed: "The Gulf conflict provided a headwind to hiring in March."

City AM

Daily Mail

The I

INTERNATIONAL

Brazil blacklists BYD for slave labour conditions

The Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Employment has added BYD Auto do Brasil Ltda. to its "dirty list" of employers due to severe labour violations. This follows a December 2024 inspection that revealed workers were subjected to excessive hours and degrading living conditions. Inspectors found 107 passports locked away, restricting workers' access to their travel documents. Brazilian workers reported that their Chinese colleagues often worked seven days a week, with days off only granted during inspections. The ministry's actions limit BYD's access to state financing and heighten reputational risks in Brazil, its key market outside China.

The Nation

South China Morning Post

Australian union's new push for four-day work week

The United Service Union, which represents 25,000 council workers in New South Wales, has proposed a four-day work week and increased flexible work-from-home options due to rising fuel costs. The union has filed an application with the Industrial Relations Commission, seeking emergency measures to alleviate financial strain on workers, who are reportedly spending an extra A$50-A$100 weekly on fuel. Daniel Papps, head of legal at USU, said: “Our members are telling us that the fuel crisis is really starting to bite.”

Yahoo News Australia

Lithuanians protest changes to public broadcaster law

Thousands of Lithuanians last week protested outside parliament in Vilnius to oppose changes to a public broadcaster law amid concerns that the legislation could open the way to censorship. Lawmakers are set to debate the proposed changes to public broadcaster LRT’s governance amid backlash from critics who say the law would make it easier to dismiss LRT’s director general and leave the outlet vulnerable to political interference. Police estimated the “Hands Off Free Speech” protest attracted at least 10,000 people.

Bloomberg

Musk's xAI sues Colorado over state's new AI law

Elon Musk’s xAI has filed a lawsuit challenging Colorado’s state-level initiative to impose protections against “algorithmic discrimination” in AI systems. The lawsuit, ‌filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado, challenges Senate Bill 24-205, which imposes disclosure and risk-mitigation requirements on developers of so‑called "high‑risk" AI systems used in decisions involving employment, housing, education, health care and financial services. The law is scheduled to take effect on June 30. "Government regulation that is applied at the state level in a patchwork across the country can have the effect to hamper innovation and deter competition in an open market," ‌xAI ⁠said.

OTHER

Conservative welfare cuts led to fifth of children growing up in poverty

Research by University of Oxford academics indicates that almost a quarter of children born since the start of government austerity cuts following the 2008 financial crisis spent at least half of their first 11 years living in poverty. Long-term childhood poverty levels had fallen from 25% for children born in 1991 to 13% for those born in 1998/99, only to surge back to 23% for those born after 2013. Co-author Dr Selçuk Bedük said the study "shows that policy matters: when support for families on low incomes is stronger, long-term childhood poverty falls. When that support is reduced, more children are pushed into long-term poverty."

The Guardian

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