As this year draws to a close and we look forward to the new year, we’ve pulled together some key dates for your 2025 business calendar. Keep an eye on our regular blogs and newsletters next year to make sure you don’t miss any important updates!
January
- 11 January: International Parity at Work Day – a celebration of equal pay and equality in the workplace.
- 20 January: Blue Monday – the third Monday of the year is often considered the most depressing day of the year. Make sure to check in with your staff and consider what you can do to boost morale. For more on staff mental health, see our Q&A here.
- 20 January: Employment tribunals will have the power to increase compensation awards by 25% – employment tribunals will have the power to increase compensation awards by 25% where employers have unreasonably failed to comply with the statutory Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement (see the Order here).
February
- LGBT+ History Month – consider how you can create a more inclusive culture in the workplace, for example by hosting an inclusion workshop.
- 10–16 February: National Apprenticeship Week – see our 2024 blog here.
- 19 February: ‘Right to renew’ consultation – the Law Commission’s consultation on the right to renew business tenancies will close.
March
- 1 March: Zero Discrimination Day – consider how you can eliminate discrimination in the workplace. Find out how to respond to a discrimination complaint here, learn more about positive discrimination here, and find information on avoiding discrimination in job adverts here.
- 7 March: National Employee Appreciation Day – think about how you can celebrate your employees, for example through hosting employee awards.
- 8 March: International Women’s Day – celebrate women’s successes and consider how you can improve gender equality at work.
- 11–17 March: Neurodiversity Celebration Week – this week is a great opportunity to consider how you can better support neurodiverse staff, including autistic staff and those with ADHD. Some neurodiverse conditions may be considered disabilities; some staff may require reasonable adjustments.
April
- Stress Awareness Month – find out here how to reduce the risk to your staff of work-related stress.
- 1 April: The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage will increase – the minimum pay rates for 2025/26 can be found here. The Statutory Sick Pay, Adoption Pay, Paternity Pay, Shared Parental Pay and Parental Bereavement Pay for 2025/26 can be found here. See our blog covering key takeaways for SMEs on the Autumn Budget 2024 here.
- 28 April: World Day for Safety and Health at Work – learn more about health and safety risk assessments, policy, training, reducing health and safety risks, and providing a safe and healthy workplace.
May
- 1 May: International Workers’ Day
- 12–18 May: Mental Health Awareness Week – see our 2024 blog here to learn more.
- 12–18 May: Learning at Work Week – this event seeks to highlight the importance of continuous learning and development at work. Consider how you can provide more opportunities for learning in the workplace (eg hosting workshops, delivering training or providing self-guided learning resources).
- 19 May: World IBD Day – over 500,000 people in the UK are living with inflammatory bowel disease. If an employee’s IBD amounts to a disability, you must make any necessary reasonable adjustments. This might include allowing the employee to work at a desk which is nearer to the bathroom, take more frequent breaks, or work from home.
June
- Pride Month – celebrate Pride Month by raising awareness and promoting education, in addition to making it clear that harassment, discrimination and exclusionary behaviour are not tolerated. You can use our Staff handbook and policies template to generate a clear policy on bullying and harassment.
- 16–22 June: Learning Disability Week – learning disabilities affect a person’s intellectual ability or their ability to deal with everyday tasks. People with a learning disability sometimes require extra support to learn new skills and understand new information. During Learning Disability Week, you can consider how you can provide further support to staff with learning disabilities, as well as raising awareness.
July
- Disability Pride Month – celebrate Disability Pride Month by raising awareness and providing training or workshops. Speak with disabled staff to gain their insights.
September
- 1 September: A new ‘failure to prevent fraud’ offence to come into effect – under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCTA) Act 2023, a new duty to prevent fraud will be imposed on large organisations.
- 18 September: International Equal Pay Day – learn more about equal pay here.
October
- World Menopause Awareness Month – see our 2024 blog here. World Menopause Day is on 18 October 2025.
- Black History Month – Black History Month is held each October to recognise and celebrate Black History and culture. In the workplace, you can provide training on diversity and inclusion, encourage learning and host events.
- 1 October: Further restrictions on high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) foods and drinks – further restrictions on HFSS foods and drinks will come into effect on 1 October (Guidance). HFSS foods will not be permitted to be sold as part of a volume price promotion (eg ‘buy one get one free’, ‘3 for the price of 2’, or ‘3 for £10’). Free refills must not be offered for HFSS drinks.
November
- 4–8 November: National Stress Awareness Week – National Stress Awareness Day will be on 5 November 2025. For information on how to reduce the risk of work-related stress, see our Q&A on staff mental health.
December
- 3 December: International Day of Persons with Disabilities – see our 2024 blog here.
- 7 December: Small Business Saturday – see our 2024 blog here.
- 2–8 December: National Grief Awareness Week – see our 2024 blog here.
The content in this article is up to date at the date of publishing. The information provided is intended only for information purposes, and is not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Sparqa Legal’s Terms of Use apply.
Becca joined Sparqa Legal as a Legal Editor in 2024 after transferring from FromCounsel. She previously worked as a caseworker at Advocate, the bar’s pro bono charity. Becca regularly writes for Sparqa’s blog, covering topics including employment, health and safety, intellectual property, and company law.