UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / September 16, 2026 / New restrictions on zero-hours contracts, due to take effect under the Employment Rights Act during 2027, are expected to push many e-commerce and fulfilment businesses towards more structured, predictable staffing models.

Pallet Truck Shop says that while the changes are still some way off, businesses that currently lean heavily on flexible or casual warehouse staff would be wise to start planning now - including thinking about the equipment those changing teams will be using.

The reforms will give workers greater rights around guaranteed hours and reasonable notice of shifts, moving many businesses away from the highly flexible staffing patterns that have become common in fast-growing online retail. For fulfilment operations that scale staffing up and down heavily around seasonal peaks, this represents a genuine change in how warehouse teams are likely to be built and managed in the coming years.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director at Pallet Truck Shop, said, "A lot of e-commerce businesses have built their whole staffing model around flexibility, bringing people in when volumes are high and scaling back when they're not. These changes don't remove that need, but they do mean businesses will need to think more carefully about how they achieve it.

"One knock-on effect that doesn't get talked about much is what this means for equipment. If you're moving towards a smaller, more stable core team rather than a constantly rotating pool of casual staff, that's a good opportunity to invest properly in equipment those staff will use regularly, rather than defaulting to whatever's cheapest or easiest to hand to someone on their first shift.

A more settled team can be trained properly on equipment, and equipment can be chosen with their long-term comfort and efficiency in mind, rather than just being simple enough for someone to pick up for a single busy weekend. That's a meaningful change in how businesses should be thinking about their pallet trucks, stackers, table trucks.

"While 2027 feels a way off, but workforce changes like this take time to plan properly," Chesworth added. "Businesses that start thinking now about what a more stable team actually needs, including the equipment they'll be using day in, day out, will be in a much stronger position when the changes land."

To find out more about Pallet Truck Shop, visit: www.pallettruckshop.co.uk.