- Employment law is changing significantly in 2026, including day-one statutory sick pay from April, which raises the cost of short-term absence.
- Mental health remains the largest driver of work-related ill health, and neurodiversity is an increasing focus.
- Sickness absence remains high, and early, preventive occupational health is the most effective response.
- Smaller employers are increasingly expected to provide access to occupational health, not only large ones.
Each year brings its own pressures for workplace health, and 2026 combines significant legal change with challenges that have been building for some time. For employers, the year is less about any single development than about a clear direction of travel: towards earlier, more preventive support, backed by rising legal expectations.
Legal change is the headline
The most immediate change is in employment law. Reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 begin to take effect during 2026, and the one with the widest reach for workplace health is statutory sick pay becoming payable from the first day of absence, with the removal of the lower earnings limit, from April. This raises the cost of short-term and intermittent absence and sharpens the case for managing it well. Alongside this sit day-one family leave rights and other changes that make current, well-drafted policies and confident line managers more important than ever.
The direction of travel for 2026 is clear: earlier, more preventive workplace health, backed by rising legal expectations.
Mental health remains central
Mental health continues to be the largest single cause of work-related ill health, and there is no sign of that changing. The most effective employers are moving from reactive support towards prevention: training managers to recognise early signs, addressing the organisational causes of stress through risk assessment, and providing quick access to help.
Good practice
The organisations that see the best results treat mental health as a matter of good management and good job design, not only of wellbeing benefits. A manager who can hold a supportive conversation, and a workload that is realistic, prevent more harm than any single initiative.
Neurodiversity moves up the agenda
Awareness of neurodiversity has grown quickly, and with it the expectation that employers will support neurodivergent staff well. With a significant share of the workforce neurodivergent, and clear duties under the Equality Act 2010, this is both an inclusion issue and a legal one. Practical support, from workplace needs assessments to straightforward adjustments, is becoming a normal part of good employment.
Absence and prevention
Sickness absence remains high by historical standards, and the combination of higher absence and day-one sick pay makes prevention and early intervention more valuable than before. Occupational health sits at the centre of this: used early, it shortens absence, supports return to work and reduces recurrence.
Medwyn tip
If you review one thing this year, make it the speed of your response. The time between an absence beginning, or a problem emerging, and occupational health becoming involved is one of the strongest predictors of the outcome. Shortening it is often the single most effective change an employer can make.
Occupational health for organisations of every size
Occupational health was once seen as something only large employers provided. That is changing. Smaller organisations are increasingly expected, by their people and by good practice, to offer access to occupational health, and flexible, proportionate services now make this achievable.
For employers, the practical priorities for 2026 are straightforward: keep policies current with the law, equip managers to act early, take mental health and neurodiversity seriously, and make occupational health easy to reach. For advice on any of these, talk to our team.
This article is general guidance for employers and is not individual medical or legal advice. If you are unsure how it applies to your organisation, contact our team.