News . 6th January 2026

On 18th December 2025 the Employment Rights Act 2025 became law, introducing a significant reform in UK worker employment rights taking place over the next 2 years.

Below we have outlined a timeline of the largest changes (this is only a summary/guide, please refer to Employment Rights Act 2025):

April 2026

No minimum length of service will be required before an employee can take Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave, this is now a day one right
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) must now be paid from day one of sickness absence and the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) for SSP has been removed, meaning all employees are entitled to SSP regardless of earnings
SSP should now be paid at either 80% of usual earnings or the current SSP rate – whichever is lowest
Reporting sexual harassment is now clearly protected under whistleblowing law
The maximum employment tribunal award that can be given if a business fails to comply with the collective redundancy protective will be doubled (up to 6 months pay)
Introduction of voluntary Gender Pay Gap and Menopause Action Plan publishing for large businesses (250+ employees), to become mandatory for large businesses in 2027
A single body “Fair Work Agency” will be established to enforce employment rights in the UK

Businesses must ensure HR policies are updated to reflect these changes before April 2026.

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October 2026

‘Fire and rehire’ – dismissing someone then rehiring them on a different contract (often with worse terms) is now classified as unfair dismissal
Businesses will be responsible for taking ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent harassment from third parties (e.g. customers or suppliers)
A change in wording around sexual harassment liability, the current law says employers must take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment, from October 2026 it will be ‘all reasonable steps’ – this is to be defined in 2027
Employees will now have 6 months to make an employment tribunal claim (increasing from 3 months)
Employers must inform employees of their right to join a trade union

2027

From January 2027, protection from unfair dismissal will become a right after 6 months of employment, a reduction from 2 years currently

The government has not confirmed when in 2027 the following changes will take place, details are subject to government consultations:

Strengthened protections against dismissal for pregnant workers and those returning from maternity leave
Those on zero-hours contracts will be entitled to guaranteed working hours (if wanted)
Employers will be obligated to pay employees for cancelled, rescheduled or shortened shifts
When rejecting a flexible working request, organisations will have to state the genuine business reason and explain why their refusal is reasonable