The State of Workplace Rights in England, Scotland and Wales 2025

Awareness of rights during probation

Our research reveals that workers in England, Scotland, and Wales lack a fundamental understanding of their workplace rights from day one of employment.

Many people in the UK start new jobs without a clear understanding of their basic employment rights. According to our 2025 survey, 36% of workers don’t know whether they have any rights during their probation period, while 24% incorrectly believe they don’t. Only 40% answered correctly — that day-one rights, including minimum wage, rest breaks, and protection from discrimination, apply from the first day of employment.

This lack of awareness leaves many new starters exposed to poor treatment, unpaid work, and unfair practices at the very beginning of their careers.

Recognising harassment - Gender Split

When asked about everyday examples of harassment, clear differences emerged between men and women. Our survey found that 75% of workers overall recognised that a colleague asking about their sex life counts as harassment — but only 69% of men agreed, compared with 80% of women. This gender gap suggests that many men may underestimate or normalise behaviour that makes others uncomfortable, highlighting a broader cultural blind spot around what constitutes inappropriate or unlawful conduct in the workplace.

The findings show that awareness of harassment isn’t evenly understood across the workforce. While most people can identify overtly offensive behaviour, subtler forms of harassment — like intrusive personal questions or unwanted attention — are still minimised by a significant share of employees. This gap in understanding can allow toxic behaviour to persist unchecked, particularly in workplaces without strong HR policies or training around equality and respect.

Witnessing bullying counts as harassment

Understanding what qualifies as harassment remains inconsistent among UK workers. When asked if witnessing another colleague being bullied should count as harassment, only 33% of respondents agreed. The majority either said no or weren’t sure. This shows that most people still view harassment as something that only affects them directly, rather than recognising that being exposed to a hostile or intimidating environment also violates workplace rights.

This lack of awareness matters because the law protects not just victims of bullying or discrimination, but anyone who experiences or witnesses this behaviour at work. When employees don’t recognise these rights, incidents are less likely to be reported, and unhealthy workplace cultures can go unchecked. Greater education around what constitutes harassment — including indirect or observed behaviour — is key to ensuring all workers feel safe, respected, and empowered to speak up.

Is depression a disability?

Understanding how mental health conditions are treated under UK law is still a major gap in workplace awareness. When asked whether depression counts as a disability under the Equality Act, only 45% of workers said yes. Awareness was slightly higher among younger adults aged 25–34, but significantly lower among older age groups and in manual or construction-based roles. This suggests that while mental health awareness has improved in recent years, many employees and employers still misunderstand how the law protects those living with long-term mental health conditions.

The Equality Act defines a disability as any physical or mental impairment that has a substantial, long-term impact on a person’s ability to carry out day-to-day activities — a definition that includes conditions like depression and anxiety. Yet the data shows that fewer than half of workers recognise this. That misunderstanding means many people experiencing poor mental health may not request reasonable adjustments or challenge discrimination, simply because they don’t realise they’re legally entitled to protection.

Wage Theft

Types of Unpaid Work Among Hourly Workers

Wage theft — where employees aren’t paid for all the hours they work — is far more common than most people realise. Our survey found that 39% of hourly paid workers said they’ve worked through breaks without pay, while 35% have worked before or after their scheduled shifts without being paid. Another 28% reported working more than 40 hours a week without receiving the higher “time and a half” overtime rate they were entitled to. These figures reveal that nearly four in ten hourly workers have experienced at least one form of wage theft, most often through unpaid breaks or extended working hours.

The data highlights how everyday workplace pressures — like staying late, starting early, or skipping breaks — often lead to workers effectively giving away hours of labour for free. For those on lower incomes, even small amounts of unpaid time can have a serious financial impact. This kind of wage loss also tends to go unreported, as workers often fear retaliation or don’t realise that the practice is illegal. Improving education and enforcement around wage rights could help protect millions of people who are quietly losing money every week.

Below Minimum Wage - Gender Split

Even when it comes to meeting the legal minimum, pay inequality persists. Our survey found that 10% of women reported earning below the National Minimum Wage on average, compared to 8% of men. While the difference may seem small, it represents a significant gender gap that reflects wider structural inequalities in the workplace — particularly for women in part-time, hourly, or casual roles. These findings suggest that wage theft and underpayment disproportionately affect women, reinforcing existing income and opportunity gaps.

This issue often stems from a mix of factors: inconsistent shift scheduling, unpaid overtime, and employers failing to correctly calculate minimum wage entitlements for variable hours. Because women are more likely to work in roles with fluctuating pay or zero-hours contracts, they’re also more exposed to these errors and abuses. Strengthening enforcement and transparency around pay — especially for hourly roles — is key to closing the gender wage gap and ensuring all workers receive at least the legal minimum for their time.

Below Minimum Wage - Age Split

Young workers are the most likely group in the UK to be underpaid. Our survey found that 14% of 18–24-year-olds reported earning below the National Minimum Wage — compared to an overall average of around 9% across all age groups. This makes younger employees nearly twice as likely to be paid illegally low wages. As workers get older, the rate of underpayment drops significantly, suggesting that inexperience, lack of awareness, and limited job security play a major role in leaving younger people open to exploitation.

These findings point to a concerning pattern in entry-level and service-sector jobs, where younger workers often feel pressured to accept unfair pay or unpaid hours just to keep their position. Many don’t know how to check if their pay meets the legal minimum, or who to contact if it doesn’t. Raising awareness of wage rights among younger employees — and holding employers accountable for proper pay practices — is essential to breaking this cycle of underpayment early in people’s working lives.

Law Changes

Timelines for strengthening Worker protections

The past two years have seen major updates to UK employment law designed to give workers stronger rights from day one. In April 2024, several new protections came into force — including the right to request flexible working from the first day of employment, extended redundancy protection for pregnant employees, and a new entitlement to one week of unpaid carer’s leave each year. Looking ahead, from April 2025, eligible parents will gain a new neonatal care leave right, allowing up to 12 weeks of paid time off if their baby requires hospital care.

Beyond these changes, the proposed Employment Rights Bill (expected in 2026) could introduce even broader reforms. Key proposals include day-one unfair dismissal rights, stronger action on zero-hours contracts, and new third-party harassment protections for employees. Together, these developments mark a shift toward greater workplace security and flexibility. However, awareness remains low — meaning many workers may not yet know they’re entitled to these new protections, and employers need clear guidance to comply.