With an exciting programme featuring headline speakers, breakout sessions and specialist workshops, this will be an incredible CPD opportunity. You’ll hear from leading experts and practitioners, from both in and outside the sector, who will bring fresh insights into the key challenges and opportunities facing HR in Higher Education.
In addition, expert-led sessions will cover a wide range of topics, there will be ample opportunity for networking and peer-to-peer learning and HR teams from universities across the UK will also be sharing their experiences.
Details on each session can be found below.
Session 1: The Employment Rights Bill (ERB): Does HE need to worry?
Tuesday 13 May | 13:45 – 14:45
Hosted by: Melanie Steed, Principal Associate at Weightmans and Rachel Murphy, Head of HR at University of Leeds.
The Labour Government say they have announced the biggest reforms in employment law in years. This session, led by expert HE lawyers from Weightmans, will explore how the proposed Employment Rights Bill will specifically impact HEIs and whether it might even provide opportunities to improve engagement, effectiveness and efficiency. We will draw from recent experiences in practice and the queries we receive on a daily basis to identify likely issues when the new laws come into force in Autumn 2026, what HEIs can do to get ahead of the game and whether there is more to come.
Aspects we’ll consider will include:
- day one rights
- the use of probationary periods
- harassment prevention
- "fire and rehire"
- the changes to trade union law
We’ll poll experiences of delegates and provide opportunities for questions, comment and the sharing of experience and hope to stimulate debate.
Session 2: How can the HE sector improve its reputation and culture where Sexual Misconduct is concerned?
Thursday 15 May | 09:30 – 10:15
Hosted by: Susan Matthews, Partner at Weightmans
Paul Greatorex, Barrister at 11KBW
Sally Ingram, Director of Health & Wellbeing Services at Newcastle University
Stephanie Reardon, CEO at Lime Culture
Despite numerous consultations, papers and initiatives around and within the sector the issue of sexual misconduct continues to raise its head on a daily basis. Notwithstanding now widened legal obligations and heightened potential risks and exposure on both the student and staff sides, it will take more than a purely legal or punitive approach. How might the sector address this increasingly sensitive issue?
Hosted by Susan Matthews, Employment Law Partner at Weightmans, the panel will debate this issue along with delegate colleagues in what should be a discussion of relevance and importance to all in the sector.
We’ll poll views of delegates and provide opportunities for questions, comment and the sharing of experience and hope to stimulate debate.
Please join us in these topical discussions which we believe will be both thought provoking and informative for all.
We look forward to seeing you online across the virtual UHR conference (and in person at the UHR summit in June).
If you'd like to attend please register your details.
