HR compliance flies up the agenda in 2026

As you will well know, HR is a broad business function. It ranges from all day-to-day line management to strategic thinking about the direction of business; from matters of remuneration to the very culture of your company.

While some things are “nice to haves” or, for creative business owners, may differentiate you from competitors; there are many aspects of HR that are mandatory. And this is what we are talking about when we say HR compliance. These are things like minimum wage, equality legislation and so on.

As they are mandatory, they have always been important. So why are we talking about this today?

Well, two issues are converging in 2026 that raise the stakes for SME business owners like you:

• A slew of employment law changes and extra vigour from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in enforcement.
• The proliferation of AI, and the way employees are using it to (whether rightly or wrongly) challenge employers on certain issues.

Let’s explore these two dynamics in a little more detail.

Employment law and the WRC

The Workplace Relations Commission has long been the chief enforcer of employment law and has a wide remit, including areas such as minimum wage, working time and equality.

It has at its disposal strong powers like to perform inspections, levy fines and run tribunal adjudication. Furthermore, the mood music coming out of the WRC is one of tougher enforcement. This was put in black and white by its 2025-27 strategy statement which also laid an emphasis on fair work and equality.

And with this tougher enforcement come new rules in 2026 and beyond to comply with, including around pay transparency, employee classification for platform work and AI oversight. And speaking of AI…

AI and employment grievances

We wrote about this a few months ago. There is a trend for employees being much bolder in raising employment grievances. Sometimes direct to you, sometimes to an employment tribunal. The driving force? Their new friend ChatGPT (or other AI software).

While they are, of course, perfectly entitled to raise a grievance if you have done something wrong, part of the trend is that their AI buddy is giving them bad advice. Whether it be applying some employment law from another jurisdiction, relying on outdated information, or just plain hallucinating, it can sound very convincing to them – and if you are not careful, you. Worse still, they are often verbose, meaning you can be drawn into spending a lot of time going through all the bumph, just to understand what they are getting at.

In one striking statistic, protected disclosures complaints to Ireland's Workplace Relations Commission jumped 278% in 2025.

The best defence again? Having the confidence that you are HR compliant. It reduces the chance of them making a formal complaint, but also puts you on the front foot in your response.

What does HR compliance look like?

HR compliance takes some work – don’t worry, we can help. It means tailored employment contracts, well-written policies, staying abreast of employment law changes, good systems and good records. It requires regular reviews of documentation and procedure. 

As well as the defensive reasons outlined above, good HR compliance will leave your business in a better place. It’s one of the hallmarks of a well-run operation. If you would like to get started, and we recommend you do if you feel you are behind, get in touch with us. We can carry out an in-depth audit and provide a report that will guide you on any changes that you need to make.