UK employment law is undergoing significant changes following the introduction of the Employment Rights Act 2025. The reforms are being introduced in stages throughout 2026 and 2027, bringing new rights for employees and additional responsibilities for employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These changes are particularly important for businesses, HR professionals and employment law practitioners, as employers will need to review their existing policies, employment contracts and workplace procedures to ensure they comply with the new requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several important employment law changes have already come into effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP):<\/strong> From 6 April 2026, the lower earnings limit and waiting period for SSP were removed. This means more employees can qualify for sick pay, including some workers who were previously excluded because of their earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paternity and parental leave:<\/strong> Eligible employees can now access paternity leave and unpaid parental leave from the first day of their employment, without having to complete the previous qualifying period of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collective redundancy:<\/strong> The maximum protective award for employers who fail to comply with collective consultation requirements increased from 90 to 180 days’ pay. This makes it particularly important for employers to follow the correct consultation procedures when planning large-scale redundancies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fair Work Agency:<\/strong> The new Fair Work Agency was established in April 2026 to strengthen the enforcement of employment rights and improve compliance with employment law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employment Tribunal time limits:<\/strong> From 1 October 2026, the time limit for most Employment Tribunal claims increased from three months to six months, subject to the applicable transitional provisions. This gives employees more time to bring certain claims, while employers should ensure that workplace disputes and potential claims are dealt with promptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further changes are scheduled to take effect on 30 October 2026, particularly in relation to workplace harassment and trade union rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The new requirements also address harassment by third parties, such as customers, clients and suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employers should review their existing harassment policies, provide appropriate staff training and establish clear procedures for reporting and investigating complaints. Having a policy in place may not be sufficient if the employer fails to take effective steps to prevent harassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new legislation strengthens trade union rights, including access to workplaces and engagement with workers. It also introduces changes to trade union recognition and protections for workers involved in trade union activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employers should review their existing arrangements and ensure that managers understand the rights of employees and trade union representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reforms are planned for 2027 and are likely to have a significant impact on employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal protection is scheduled to reduce from two years to six months. The cap on compensatory awards is also due to be removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means employers will need to pay greater attention to how they recruit, manage and dismiss employees. Proper probation procedures, documented performance reviews and fair dismissal processes will become increasingly important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gender equality and menopause action plans are scheduled to become mandatory for public authorities in March 2027 and for private and voluntary sector employers in April 2027, under the current implementation timetable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employers should begin reviewing their workplace policies and consider how they can improve support, equality and retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New bereavement leave provisions, including provisions relating to pregnancy loss, are planned for April 2027. These changes are intended to provide additional support to employees experiencing difficult personal circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employers should monitor the final regulations and update their family leave policies when the new requirements are confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further changes relating to flexible working and enhanced protection against dismissal for pregnant employees and new mothers are scheduled for October 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employers should ensure that flexible working requests are handled properly and that decisions affecting pregnant employees and new mothers comply with the relevant legal requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additional changes are expected to address fire-and-rehire practices, collective redundancy consultation, non-disclosure agreements in workplace harassment and discrimination cases, and the regulation of umbrella companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some measures will require further regulations or implementation guidance before employers can fully understand their practical obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Businesses should not wait until every change has come into force before preparing. Employers should begin by reviewing their employment contracts, staff handbooks, disciplinary procedures and HR policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They should also ensure that managers understand the new requirements, particularly those relating to harassment, dismissal, family leave and employee rights. Keeping accurate employment records and seeking appropriate legal advice when dealing with difficult workplace issues can help reduce the risk of disputes and Employment Tribunal claims.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" UK employment law is undergoing significant changes following the introduction of the Employment Rights Act 2025. The reforms are being introduced in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[37,35,36,34,38],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-employment-law","tag-employerdo","tag-employmentlaw","tag-newemploymentlawrulesexpecetdin2027","tag-october2026changesinemploymentlaw","tag-whatemployerdo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42,"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions\/42"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lawyersandu.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Changes Taking Effect on 30 October 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stronger protection against sexual harassment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Changes to trade union rights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Important Changes Expected in 2027<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Unfair dismissal protection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Gender equality and menopause action plans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bereavement leave and pregnancy loss<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Flexible working and protection for pregnant employees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Other planned reforms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. What Should Employers Do Now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n