April always feels like a month of emergence, the point in the year where the light shifts, the pace changes, and we get a clearer view of what’s growing beneath the surface. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sitting with that theme more intentionally, especially after attending an International Women’s Day event, hosted by Vanesa Pazos, of NoBa Capital that brought together a room full of female founders. 

There was something quietly powerful about being surrounded by women who are building, iterating, and leading with courage. It reminded me how essential it is, especially as a founder, to stay connected to spaces that stretch you, support you, and reflect back the parts of your work that you can’t always see from the inside.

That event led me to join EmpowerHer, as one of the founding members, a community for women investors, founder and leaders. Already, it’s helping me sharpen my own focus: on growth, on sustainability, and on the kind of leadership I want to model as Peony & Magnolia approaches its seventh year this September.

Seven years. When I say it out loud, it lands with a mix of pride, tenderness, and overwhelm! What began in 2019 as a values-led HR consultancy has grown into something deeper, a practice rooted in psychological safety, accessibility, and human-centred leadership. Now, with Peony Community evolving in parallel, I’m more aware than ever of how important it is to keep learning, keep connecting, and keep choosing the kind of work that feels aligned.

This month’s newsletter brings together that spirit of growth and clarity. We’re sharing updates on the latest Employment Rights changes coming into effect, and a behind-the-scenes look at what’s unfolding with Peony Community as we move toward the next phase of development.

ERB SPOTLIGHT: It has arrived 

April brings a new set of employment law changes, and this year’s updates are particularly focused on fairness, access to rights, and clearer record‑keeping. Below is a straightforward summary of the key points employers should be aware of. As always, the aim is to keep you informed without creating unnecessary concern. Most of our clients will already have the foundations in place, making it smoother to adapt and change. 

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage Increases

Effective 1 April
The annual uplift to wage rates has now taken effect. If you employ younger workers, apprentices or seasonal staff, it is worth reviewing your payroll to ensure everyone is aligned with the new rates. This is a simple compliance check and where possible, consider paying the Living Wage. 

Day‑One Rights for Paternity and Parental Leave

Effective 6 April
Employees no longer need 26 weeks’ service to access statutory paternity leave or unpaid parental leave. These entitlements now apply from the first day of employment. It is a positive shift for families and a reminder to ensure your policies and onboarding materials reflect the change.

Statutory Sick Pay Reform

Effective 6 April
SSP is now more accessible, with the removal of the earnings threshold and the three‑day waiting period. It becomes payable from day one of sickness. This supports lower‑paid and part‑time workers and may require small adjustments to internal processes, especially payroll systems. 

Six‑Year Holiday Pay Record‑Keeping Duty

Effective 6 April
This is one of the more practical changes. Employers must now keep six years of detailed annual leave and holiday pay records, including:

• leave taken
• how holiday pay was calculated
• variable pay elements such as overtime or commission
• payment dates
• classification decisions for irregular‑hours and part‑year workers

It is about clarity and consistency and HR systems already hold much of this information, so the focus is on ensuring records are complete and stored in a way that can be accessed if needed.

Strengthened Protections and Enforcement

Additional updates include enhanced protections for workers reporting sexual harassment, increased penalties for failures in collective redundancy consultation, and the launch of the Fair Work Agency, which brings several enforcement bodies together under one structure.

These changes reflect a wider shift towards transparency and fairness across the employment landscape.

If you are an retained client, we will be providing policy updates, if you have worked with us before, in some capacity and would like support updating your policies, we are happy to support.  

Peony Community- it’s made progress 

Peony Community has continued to take shape this month, and the core structure is now in place. All twenty‑four sessions are written and organised across the four seasons, each one reflecting a different way of meeting yourself with honesty and steadiness.

Spring is not about becoming someone different. It is about becoming more honestly yourself. Summer is not about standing out. It is about standing in what is actually true. Autumn is not about pushing through. It is about understanding what you are working with. Winter is not about enduring the dark. It is about meeting yourself within it.

These principles guide the whole experience. The four companions , Ashe, Lark, Isen and Zora, are AI‑embedded, but every interaction is scripted by me. This keeps the support psychologically safe, consistent and grounded in the same values that underpin my coaching and HR practice. They are designed to accompany people through the seasons in a way that feels steady and human.

They will also learn from you as you move through the programme. Both in a data‑driven as well as a reflective practice, as it learns from what is brought to it and provides you will personalised progress updates. They respond to your pace, your language and what you choose to focus on, so the experience feels personal without becoming intrusive.

Technical development with Sam and design work with Mechele are progressing well, and we are close to the first round of testing. This next phase will help us refine the experience and ensure the platform feels clear, intuitive and aligned with the principles it is built on.

This has become a labour of love, I feel so strongly that an accessible coaching platform, which has depth and impacts wellbeing on a continuous basis needs to be out there in the world. 

And finally…. 

I am a little slower on the reading front this year but really enjoyed the Hiding Game, Naomi Wood. This was based in Germany, around the time my own grandmother would have been living there, it gave me insights maybe because of the shared connection and the snippets of memories she occasionally shared from her youth. 

Currently reading Mere, Danielle Giles, totally different to usual genre, set in Norfolk in AD 990 in a convent. Interesting read, slow paced but perfect for the unwind before sleep. 

Normal ready, listening etc will resume now I have used all my spare time writing Peony Community! 

Alice

Peony & Magnolia
Our Business is Your People