Style guide updates | Acas

Recent updates to the style guide.

26 June 2025

Added instruction about searching the style guide using Ctrl+F to the introduction.

18 June 2025

Updated content pattern for navigation boxes to explain how to link from landing pages to:

campaign pages
templates
Codes of Practice

16 June 2025

Updated the following to apply recent style changes and correct links:

capitalisation and title case
contact details
entitlement
fire and rehire
helpline
hybrid working
might
remote working
slashes
titles for webpages
workplace
workplace adjustments

Updated content patterns:

Code of Practice
bullet-point lists
detriment
raising a problem at work
reasonable adjustments
trade union representative

Removed style entry for 'employer and employee (your)'.

11 June 2025

Added entries for:

'individual'
'staff'

10 June 2025

Updated content pattern for employee representative and worker representative.

30 April 2025

Updated content pattern for making a claim to an employment tribunal.

24 April 2025

Added content pattern for advice landing pages. Updated content pattern for navigation boxes.

2 April 2025

Removed references to landing pages and navigation box summaries from:

related content links content pattern
entry for 'summaries'

This is to prepare for the new advice information architecture. When it is live, there will be updated entries and patterns for advice landing pages and navigation boxes.

1 April 2025

Added entry for 'sex and gender'.

Added links to 'sex and gender' from the following entries:

'intersex'
'non-binary'
'transgender'

Updated the 'discrimination' entry, to explain how to describe direct pregnancy and maternity discrimination.

Updated the 'pregnancy and maternity' entry to:

explain when to write 'pregnancy and maternity discrimination' in full and when to shorten it
add a link to the 'discrimination' entry'

Updated the 'protected characteristics' entry to add a link to the entry for 'pregnancy and maternity'.

27 March 2025

Updated entry for 'e-learning' to reflect new style and added a link to the content pattern for linking to Acas training.

Updated content pattern for 'linking from advice to Acas training' to include linking patterns for e-learning and webinars.

25 February 2025

Updated entry for 'Code of Practice' to include a link to the Acas Code of Practice links content pattern.

18 February 2025

Added entries for:

'ADHD'
'disclose'
'neurodiversity'
'Tourette's syndrome'

Updated entry for 'disability' to add a link to the entry for 'neurodiversity'.

4 February 2025

Updated 'length of service' content pattern to include an explanation of 'continuous employment'.

16 January 2025

Added entry for 'roleplay'.

15 January 2025

Replaced entries for 'employee' and 'worker' with a new entry for 'employee, worker'. Added new 'employee status' content pattern.

7 January 2025

Added entry for 'pay and wages'.

20 December 2024

Updated entry for 'county court' to include reference to sheriff court.

18 December 2024

Added entry for 'zero tolerance'.

17 December 2024

Added entry for 'sexual orientation'.

Updated 'raising a problem at work' content pattern. Changed 'talking to' to 'talking with' in the pattern for raising it informally.

1 November 2024

Added entries for:

intersex
LGBT+
non-binary
transgender

Updated:

entry for 'examples'
entry for 'partner, spouse'

Removed entry for 'gender-neutral language'. This is now covered under 'names and pronouns' in the entry for 'examples'.

28 October 2024

Updated the following to apply recent style changes and correct links:

addresses
content pattern for bullet point lists
capitalisation and title case
colleague
examples
disability
employee assistance programme
holiday entitlement
inverted commas or 'quote marks'
lawful and unlawful
content pattern for linking
mental health
putting something in writing
content pattern for reasonable adjustments
content pattern for related content links
summaries
working from home

16 October 2024

Added entry for 'small and medium-sized enterprise'.

17 September 2024

Added entry for 'minimum wage'.

10 September 2024

Added entries for 'DBS check' and 'garden leave'.

23 August 2024

Updated entry for 'acronyms and initialisms' to:

make clear we should usually write acronyms and initialisms out in full
add HR to the examples where the acronym is more familiar

22 May 2024

Updated the following to apply recent style changes and correct links:

acronyms and initialisms
and/or
blog guidelines
Britain
Code of Practice
dashes and hyphens
death
disciplinary procedure
early conciliation certificates
employee
GDPR or UK GDPR
guidance
inverted commas or 'quote marks'
content pattern for linking
might
navigation boxes
content pattern for raising a problem at work
Relay UK text relay
remote working
transcript guidelines
working from home

Removed entries for 'Employment Rights Act 1996' and 'Equality Act 2010'. The style for acts of law is in the entry for 'acts of law, legislation, regulations'.

8 April 2024

Updated content pattern for 'length of service' to replace flexible working examples.

20 February 2024

Updated content pattern for examples to explain that examples on the Acas website:

do not always have to include names
should be written in present tense

Updated entries for 'examples' and 'gender-neutral language'.

9 January 2024

Updated entries related to headings, titles and summaries:

updated entry for 'headings'
removed entries for 'publication titles' and 'verbs in guide and chapter titles'
added entries for 'summaries' and 'titles for webpages'

Moved 'writing for the Acas website':

updated the style guide introduction
created content design landing page

We will no longer post updates to 'writing for the Acas website' to this page.

19 December 2023

Added entry for 'hearing or meeting'.

13 November 2023

Added entry for 'race and ethnicity'.

31 October 2023

Updated content pattern for 'raising a problem at work' so that it:

works with updated content on raising a problem informally
follows our style for legal terms

Created separate style guide entry for 'raising a problem at work' to link to updated content pattern.

23 October 2023

Added content pattern for 'employee representative'.

19 October 2023

Updated the following to apply recent style changes and correct links:

content pattern for callouts
content pattern for enhanced and contractual entitlements
legal terms
content pattern for linking
mental health
adviser
death
publication titles
subject access request
headings

Changed entry for 'statutory maternity and paternity pay and leave, and shared parental leave' to 'statutory leave and pay for parents'. Added statutory adoption leave and pay to that entry.

13 October 2023

Added sections on structure and concepts to writing for the Acas website.

14 September 2023

Updated entry for 'mother or birth parent' to make it clear when to use it.

5 September 2023

Removed entry for 'hearing or meeting' while it is reviewed.

23 August 2023

Added entry for 'claimant, respondent, representative'.

Added links to it from:

new entry for 'respondent'
new entry for 'representative'
updated entry for 'early conciliation'

22 August 2023

Added entry for 'signpost'. Updated entry for 'legal advice' to remove a use of the verb 'signpost'.

21 July 2023

Updated content pattern for 'discipline, grievance and appeal hearing'. Amended explanation of 'hearing' to correct inaccuracy.

20 July 2023

Updated content pattern for 'detriment for enforcing a right'. Added separate links to 'bullying' and 'harassment' content.

3 July 2023

Added content pattern for 'trade union representative'.

7 June 2023

Added entry for 'trigger points'.

26 May 2023

Changed content pattern for 'homepage news and updates boxes' to a content pattern for 'navigation boxes'. This covers all types of navigation boxes.

22 May 2023

Updated entry for 'acronyms and initialisms' to add line about when there's limited space.

17 May 2023

Updated entry for 'capitalisation and title case'.

Removed entry for 'job titles'. This was all about capitalisation and is now in under 'capitalisation and title case'.

4 May 2023

Updated content pattern for 'detriment for enforcing a right' to make clear this should not be used in content about recruitment.

19 April 2023

Updated entry for 'advice' to make it clearer why we use 'advice' and not 'guidance'.

Updated the following to apply recent style changes and correct links:

inverted commas or quote marks
references
content pattern for examples
content pattern for linking from advice to Acas training

18 April 2023

Updated entry for 'italics'.

17 April 2023

Updated entries for 'inverted commas' and 'legal terms'.

14 April 2023

Updated entry for 'partner, spouse'.

31 March 2023

Updated entry for 'workplace' and made related updates to other entries.

28 March 2023

Added entry for 'hearing or meeting' and content pattern for 'discipline, grievance or appeal hearing'.

14 March 2023

Added content pattern for 'callouts'.

7 March 2023

Updated link to Harvard referencing style on The Open University website.

21 February 2023

Added section on audiences to writing for the Acas website.

13 February 2023

Added entry for 'statutory maternity and paternity pay and leave, and shared parental leave' and amended previous examples that included these.

8 February 2023

Added entry for 'holiday entitlement'.

13 January 2023

Updated 'Acas helpline' content pattern to include guidance on using headings, including heading wording options.

10 January 2023

Made various updates to style guide entries and content patterns to apply recent style changes.

Updated style guide entries for capitalisation, examples, and gender-neutral language.

Updated content patterns for bullet-point lists, homepage news and updates boxes, linking, linking from advice to Acas training, related content links. Removed content pattern for making it clear a press release has out of date advice.

Added entry for 'email addresses'.

3 January 2023

Updated entry for 'acronyms and initialisms'. Removed entry for 'addressing a representative' because this needs reviewing.

30 December 2022

Removed entry for 'filenames' because this is now in an internal document about managing files.

29 December 2022

Added entry for 'time periods'.

23 December 2022

Added entry for 'dashes and hyphens'.

Added content pattern for 'detriment for enforcing a right'.

Updated entries for 'covid-19 (coronavirus)' and 'long covid'.

22 December 2022

Added page on writing for the Acas website.

Added entry for 'mental health'.

21 December 2022

Updated entry for 'capitalisation' to add heading for team names.

Updated entry for 'gender neutral language' to expand the examples.

Various other updates to fix broken links.

15 December 2022

Added entries for discrimination and harassment.

Updated entry for protected characteristics.

14 December 2022

Added content pattern for links to downloads.

22 November 2022

Added entry for 'written statement'.

16 November 2022

Updated 'enhanced and contractual' content patterns to be clearer how and when to use them.

9 November 2022

Added entries for 'early conciliation certificates' and 'employment tribunal form ET1'.

Updated the content pattern for 'homepage news and updates boxes' to include new guidance in sections on conferences and blog posts.

2 November 2022

Amended inverted commas entry; removed furlough entry; amended capitalisation, and acronyms and initialisms entries.

25 October 2022

Added content pattern for 'employment tribunal time limits'.

21 October 2022

Added entry and content pattern for 'customer services'.

20 October 2022

Added entry for 'putting something in writing'.

13 October 2022

Added entry and content pattern for 'examples'.

12 October 2022

Updated the content pattern for 'Acas helpline' to make it clear that you should not link to the legal advice page.

Updated the style guide entry for 'legal advice' to signpost to the helpline instead of the legal advice page. And removed reference to legal advice in the style guide entry for 'advice'.

30 September 2022

Added entry for 'disability'.

27 September 2022

Temporarily removed the content pattern for 'employment tribunal time limits'.

26 September 2022

Added entry for 'partner, spouse, wife, husband'.

Replaced previous entry for 'birth parent' with 'mother and birth parent'.

22 September 2022

Under 'adoption and surrogacy', updated what we say about 'intended parent' to be more accurate, and added 'parental order'.

21 September 2022

Added 'linking from advice to Acas training' to the content pattern for linking.

8 September 2022

Updated content pattern for 'making clear a press release has out of date of advice' to make clear that we only add call-outs to press releases in exceptional circumstances.

5 September 2022

Updated entry for 'capitalisation' to make it clearer. Added example to entry for 'telephone numbers'.

30 August 2022

Added content pattern for 'employment tribunal time limits'.

25 August 2022

Changed example in 'archive content' entry from suspension to retirement. Advice on suspension is moving to this website.

22 August 2022

Updated entry for 'lawful and unlawful' to give more clarity on when to use these terms and when to use alternative terms.

15 August 2022

Removed entry for 'numbers'. We'll follow the Government Digital Service (GDS) style guide for numbers.

Updated entry for 'okay'.

12 August 2022

Added entries for 'reasonable adjustments' and 'workplace adjustments'.

Added content pattern for 'enhanced and contractual entitlements'.

10 August 2022

Added entry for 'may'.

4 August 2022

Did a tidy up to be consistent with use of full sentences and inverted commas. Removed duplication of GDS style guide. Made sure all entries follow the style guide and content pattern for linking.

19 July 2022

Updated entry for 'coronavirus (COVID-19)' and removed entry for 'test and trace' as no longer used.

18 July 2022

Removed examples from the entry for 'telephone numbers' as they were not consistent with our style on the website.

7 July 2022

Updated helpline content pattern to remove negative language and fit in with what we say the helpline can do on the 'contact us' page.

23 June 2022

Added entry for 'verbs in guide and chapter titles'.

16 June 2022

Updated the introduction to the style guide. Created this updates page.

10 June 2022

Updated blog guidelines so that they're written for blog authors.

20 May 2022

Added entry for 'length of service'.

19 May 2022

Tiny fix: in entry for 'might' – added missing space after comma.

12 May 2022

Updated links to content patterns and guidelines:

11 May 2022

Updated link to 'bullet-point lists' content pattern.

6 May 2022

2 tiny fixes:

helpline – changed 'can't' to 'cannot'
references – changed 'latin' to 'Latin'

29 April 2022

Added entry for 'early conciliation is free and confidential'.

28 April 2022

Added entry for 'addressing a representative'.

21 April 2022

Updated links to content patterns:

12 April 2022

Published the style guide at www.acas.org.uk/style-guide.