ESG and sustainability: employment issues

This Overview provides a summary of the content in the subtopic, ESG and sustainability: employment issues. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations, along with sustainability, are broad concepts and in the business context generally include the impact an entity is having on the environment and society. This content aims to help practitioners advising businesses by providing an overview of the many pervasive ESG issues in the employment context and also signposts other relevant materials. The Overview considers terminology such as ‘corporate responsibility’ (CR) and ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR), as well as considering a wide variety of established areas of employment law and practice that can be relevant in this context, such as gender and other pay gaps, diversity and inclusion, human rights, modern slavery and human trafficking, corporate governance, health and wellbeing, data protection and pay. It also sets out details of the various employment-related sustainability clauses produced by The Chancery Lane Project (TCLP), which are reproduced with permission.

Understanding the terminology

The terminology used in this area is extensive. Terms such as ‘sustainable business’, ‘responsible business’, ‘corporate responsibility’ (CR) or ‘corporate social responsibility’ ...

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Employment News

UK trials sick note reform to boost workforce participation

Law360: The government announced a new pilot programme on 11 July 2025 aimed at overhauling the way workers are signed off sick as part of wider efforts to support people with health conditions back into work.

Equality Network urges UN expert to review UK trans rights concerns

The Equality Network has written a letter to the United Nations Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Graeme Reid, signed by 16 other LGBTI+ equality and human rights organisations, and requesting intervention on trans rights in the United Kingdom following the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland v the Scottish Ministers. Dated 14 July 2025, the letter urges Mr Reid to write to the UK Minister for Equalities regarding potential human rights violations if consultation proposals for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations are approved as statutory guidance. In addition, the Equality Network and Scottish Trans have published a report entitled ‘The Erosion of Trans Rights in the UK,’ which analyses potential human rights implications arising from the recent case.

DBT publishes independent review of Great Britain’s whistleblowing framework

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published an independent review of Great Britain's whistleblowing framework, conducted by Grant Thornton UK LLP, which assessed how effectively the framework meets the objectives of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. Drawing on 67 literature sources, 35 interviews, six focus groups, and secondary data, the research noted an increasing reliance on internal reporting systems and designated person channels. However, it also flagged significant challenges, including subjective legal definitions, obstacles to accessing Employment Tribunal (ET) redress, and a persistent cultural stigma. While some organisations have demonstrated effective response mechanisms, there is an overall inconsistency in how concerns are managed and whistleblowers protected. The report is structured around the key themes of definitions, disclosure routes, responses to concerns, the availability and adequacy of protections, redress through ETs, awareness and guidance, and the cultural impact of whistleblowing.

Presidential guidance on open justice in employment tribunal proceedings in Scotland published

Employment analysis: The President of the Employment Tribunals in Scotland, Susan Walker, has published Presidential Guidance on open justice in employment tribunal proceedings in Scotland. The new Scottish guidance addresses observation of hearings in person and remotely, rules for observers to follow, live tweeting of hearings, access to witness statements and other case materials, transmission of the hearing to facilitate high numbers of observers, and the prohibition on recording of hearings. The guidance takes effect from 14 July 2025.