It’s well publicised that the Employment Rights Bill is set to introduce one of the most significant overhauls of workplace rights in decades which is going to impact every business. It’s part of the government’s strategy to Make Work Pay and last week they announced the Implementation Roadmap of when things will change.
Changes will begin taking effect this summer and continue, in stages, through to 2027. This means now is the time to get familiar with what’s ahead and start preparing to adapt policies, systems and working practices.
We’ve outlined the key dates, what each phase of reform involves, and what action you can start taking.
Summer 2025 – Early legislative changes
Once the Employment Rights Bill receives Royal Assent, which is expected this summer, a number of immediate changes will come into effect. These include the repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and most of the Trade Union Act 2016.
There will also be new protections for workers taking part in industrial action, meaning employers will no longer be able to dismiss employees for participating in legal strikes. These changes signal a shift in industrial relations law and may prompt businesses, especially those with union activity, to review their current approach to employee representation and dispute resolution.
April 2026
The first major phase begins in April 2026 and will see several core employee rights extended.
Statutory Sick Pay will become available from the first day of sickness abolishing the current waiting days. The earnings threshold will also be removed, meaning low-paid workers will be covered.
Both paternity leave and unpaid parental leave will become day-one rights. This removes any qualifying service period and will require businesses to be ready to manage these entitlements from the moment an employee joins.
We will also see the launch of a new enforcement body, the Fair Work Agency which will be responsible for the enforcement of holiday pay, national living wage and SSP. It will support employees in enforcing their rights. It will also have the power to impose penalties and recover enforcement costs from non-compliant employers.
Redundancy law will tighten. The cap on the protective award for failure to conduct collective consultation will increase from 90 to 180 days.
Trade Union recognition will be simplified enabling electronic and workplace balloting.
Whistleblowing protections will be strengthened.
Large employers with 250 or more staff will be encouraged to voluntarily publish action plans to address gender pay gaps and support employees through menopause. These will become mandatory in 2027.
October 2026
October 2026 sees the next set of changes.
The use of fire and rehire will be severely restricted. If an employee is dismissed for refusing to accept a change to their contract, that dismissal will automatically be considered unfair unless the employer can demonstrate that the business would not survive without it. This significantly narrows the conditions under which contract changes can be imposed and increases legal risks for employers.
Businesses will need to inform workers of their right to join a trade union, with formal requirements to communicate this at key stages of employment. Trade unions will be given stronger rights of access to workplaces, including digital access.
The employment tribunal claim window will increase from three months to six, giving employees more time to bring claims. Employers may need to strengthen their documentation, processes and early dispute resolution practices to reduce exposure.
Employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. This duty is being strengthened beyond what is already in force, and tribunals will be given the ability to assess what was done to meet that standard. There will also be a new obligation not to allow third-party harassment, such as by customers or clients.
Tipping laws are also being tightened, ensuring fairer distribution of tips in industries such as hospitality. Employers in these sectors should ensure they have a transparent and compliant system in place.
2027 onwards
In 2027, several transformative measures will be introduced.
The two-year qualifying period for unfair dismissal will be removed and replaced with a statutory probation period, likely lasting nine months. Once that period ends, employees will be protected from unfair dismissal, regardless of their length of service. Employers will need to manage early performance concerns more actively and consistently during the probation period.
Zero-hours and low-hours workers will gain the right to request a contract that reflects their actual working patterns. There will also be rules requiring reasonable notice for shift changes and compensation for last-minute cancellations. These rights will be extended to agency workers.
Flexible working will become a default day-one right. Any refusal must be clearly explained and based on reasonable grounds. This will require businesses to strengthen their approach to flexible work requests and ensure consistency in decision-making.
Pregnant employees will be protected from dismissal during pregnancy and for six months after returning from maternity leave, except in narrowly defined circumstances.
Bereavement leave will be introduced as a day-one right, giving all employees the ability to take at least one week of leave following a bereavement.
There will also be new consultation thresholds for collective redundancy and regulation of umbrella companies, which could affect businesses using contractors or outsourced staffing models.
Mandatory action plans on gender pay gaps and menopause support will come into force for large employers.
Consultations
Alongside the legislation, the government will run a series of consultations between this summer and early next to develop the finer details of implementation. Topics include redundancy thresholds, dismissal rules, umbrella company regulation, flexible working and more.
What should you do now?
There are some practical steps you can start taking now to get ahead of the upcoming changes. Start by reviewing and updating your employment contracts and workplace policies so they reflect the latest requirements. This includes things like day one rights, updated sick pay rules, and new leave entitlements. It’s also a good time to revisit your recruitment processes. Making sure you're assessing the right skills and capabilities before offering a role can help you make better hiring decisions from the start. While this won’t completely remove all risks, it will reduce the chances of issues arising from the new day one dismissal rules. Getting recruitment right the first time not only saves time and resources, it’ll be even more important once changes to unfair dismissal rules come into effect.
If you don’t already have clear policies for managing sickness and absence, now is the time to put them in place. Having a consistent approach can help reduce short-term, persistent absences and give you a clearer framework for addressing attendance concerns. For organisations that only offer Statutory Sick Pay, it's worth noting that SSP will now be payable from the first day of sickness. This makes it even more important to have the right processes in place to manage absence effectively, both to stay compliant and to reduce unnecessary costs.
It’s also a good idea to audit your current procedures around redundancy, dismissal, and grievances to make sure they meet legal standards. These processes will come under greater scrutiny, and ensuring they're legally sound will help reduce potential risks.
Look at how you're currently managing flexible working, zero-hours contracts, and casual workers. You may need to think about how you plan capacity, whether your rostering systems are up to date, and whether expectations around shifts and working patterns are being clearly communicated.
Trade unions are also set to become more accessible to employees. Rather than waiting to see how this plays out, it's a good idea to start thinking now about how you want to approach this shift. Being proactive will put you in a much stronger position than simply hoping it doesn't affect your workplace.
Training will be another key area to focus on. Make sure managers are confident in their responsibilities under the new rules, particularly in areas like recruitment, absence management, performance, parental rights, and general workplace behaviour. The more prepared your leadership team is, the smoother the transition will be.
Finally, keep up to date with developments as government guidance and consultation outcomes continue to evolve through 2025 and 2026. We'll keep sharing updates as new information becomes available to help you stay informed and prepared. Print out our downloadable version below so you have all the dates at your fingertips.
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