What is Acas and what does it do?

Acas is the workplace expert for England, Wales and Scotland. It gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice, and it also offers training and help to resolve disputes. Use it when you need a reliable starting point on an employment question, a document to adapt, or a way to settle a disagreement without going to an employment tribunal.

Who Acas covers

Acas describes itself as the workplace expert for England, Wales and Scotland. Its advice is aimed at both sides of the workplace: employers and employees. That dual audience matters — the same service is designed to be usable whether you are setting policy or working under it.

What Acas provides

The site groups its help into four areas:

Advice

This is the entry point for most questions about employment rights and workplace rules. It is described as free and impartial, so it is written to inform rather than to represent one side.

Templates

Rather than drafting from scratch, you can take a free letter, form or policy document and adapt it. This suits common workplace tasks — for example, putting a policy in writing or issuing a standard letter — where a recognised starting document reduces the risk of missing a required element.

Dispute resolution

Acas helps parties reach a legal agreement without going to an employment tribunal, and also helps resolve disputes more broadly. If a disagreement is heading toward a formal claim, this is the service to look at first.

Training

Courses, events and tailored support cover a wide range of employment topics. This is the option when you need to build capability — for a manager or a team — rather than answer a single question.

Current changes worth knowing

The Acas site flags active developments that affect how employers should act:

• Flexible working Code consultation — Acas is consulting on updates to its Code on flexible working; a senior policy adviser explains why the Code is changing and how to get involved.
• New trade union law — Acas reports that nearly 1 in 5 bosses are not confident about implementing it.
• Employment Rights Act 2025 — a page tracks which laws have already changed and what further changes are expected in 2026 and 2027.

If your question concerns flexible working, trade unions or the Employment Rights Act 2025, check these updates before relying on older guidance.

How to choose the right entry point

• Need an answer on a right or rule → start with Advice.
• Need a document to send or adopt → start with Templates.
• In a disagreement or facing a tribunal → start with Dispute resolution services.
• Need to upskill people → start with Training.
• Need to stay current → follow the News and updates and the Employment Rights Act 2025 page.

Acas also offers free email updates you can sign up for, which is a practical way to hear about Code changes and new law as they land.