UK Employment Rights Act Reforms: Are Your Staff Trained? |

Employment Rights Act 2025 - Are your staff trained

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is bringing in some of the most significant changes to UK employment law in a generation. While a few employment law changes came into force in April 2025, the majority will take effect from 6th April 2026, with further changes scheduled for 2027, such as the new 6-month unfair dismissal rule. We’ve collated an overview of the employment law changes and some guidance on how businesses can prepare, with training options, to help remain compliant and avoid the strengthened penalties of the new Fair Work Agency.

Online Training in Preparation for the UK Employment Rights Act

Employers should train staff in readiness for the UK Employment Rights Act (ERA) 2025 because the Act introduces major reforms across multiple areas of employment law, and a lack of awareness can create significant legal, operational, and reputational risks. Training ensures that everyone, from HR teams to line managers, understands their responsibilities and how to implement them correctly.

Employment Rights Act 2025 – Part 1 (CPD Certified)

Part 1 of the online course is designed to help everyone in the workplace understand their rights, what they are entitled to and how this will impact their organisation. The course also discusses the impact and effect of the most recent changes to the Act and what it means for places and people. Understanding these changes will allow you to be a more compliant organisation, benefitting the individuals in your care and helping to keep them safe.

Employment Rights Act 2025 – Part 2 (CPD Certified)

Part 2 of the online course will help you prepare for the changes, your responsibilities, potential risks and effective methods of implementation. This includes your responsibilities as an employer and/or employee, and the potential risks you may encounter and how to overcome them, making you more compliant and able to protect your employees.

Employment Rights Act Part 1 online course

Employment Rights Act Part 2 online course

Other online training includes the UK Employment Law Diploma, CPD Certified and UK Employment Law Changes 2026. Specific course topics that have been updated in line with the new reforms are the Whistleblowing: Understand Your Rights in the UK, New and Expectant Mothers – CPD Approved and Managing Disciplinary Issues

An Overview of the Employment Rights Act 2025 Reforms

Effective Date	Change	Key Details	Preparation
18th December 2025	Minimum service level rules for strikes removed	Minimum service level rules for strikes were removed, to keep services running when there’s a strike.	Update business continuity plans. Assess critical service risk during strikes and identify operational fallback options. Update industrial action policies, strike response procedures and legal guidance for HR and operational managers
18th February 2026	Trade Union Reforms	Repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016. Simplified rules for industrial action, reduced notice periods to 10 days from 14 days. Removal of picket supervisor requirements and a strike ballot now lasts 12 months.	Train line managers on “Neutrality.” Under the new rules, “unfair practices” during a union ballot (like threatening staff or offering bribes to vote ‘No’) can lead to automatic recognition being granted by the CAC as a penalty.
18th February 2026	Trade Union Reforms – Dismissal Protection	Automatic protection from unfair dismissal for taking part in lawful industrial action is strengthened	Update disciplinary and dismissal policies. Treat strike-related dismissals as high-risk decisions. Focus on dispute resolution rather than enforcement. Strengthen contingency planning for prolonged strikes. Train managers on industrial relations risks. Monitor related industrial action reforms
6th April 2026	Day 1 Paternity/Parental Leave	Qualifying service periods (26 weeks for Paternity, 1 year for Parental) are abolished. and become day 1 rights. Notice can be given from 18 Feb 2026.	Update staff handbooks to remove any mention of “qualifying periods” for these leaves.
6th April 2026	Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Reform	Removal of the “3-day waiting period” (pay starts Day 1) and the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL), making lower earners eligible.	Update payroll software to remove the three-day waiting period and the Lower Earnings Limit for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). Entitlement must be calculated from the first day of absence at either 80% of average weekly earnings or the statutory flat rate, whichever is lower.
6th April 2026	Redundancy Protective Award	The maximum award for failing to consult collectively (20+ redundancies) doubles from 90 to 180 days’ pay.	Update risk assessments for collective redundancies, noting that the maximum “protective award” for failure to consult has doubled to 180 days’ pay per employee.
6th April 2026	Whistleblowing: Sexual Harassment	Reporting sexual harassment in the workplace will be explicitly defined as a “protected disclosure.”	Review internal whistleblowing policy to ensure sexual harassment is explicitly covered. Train managers on how to handle these specific disclosures. Tribunals will now look much more harshly at firms that mishandle them.
6th April 2026	Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave	A new right for fathers/partners to take up to 52 weeks of leave if the mother or primary adopter dies during the child’s first year.	Update family-leave policies and adapt HR systems and payroll. Train managers and HR teams on handling sensitive bereavement conversations, eligibility and notice requirements and avoiding discriminatory treatment or detriment.
6th April 2026	Fair Work Agency Launch	A single enforcement body is established to significantly increase scrutiny of employer compliance e.g. holiday pay, SSP, and the National Minimum Wage.	Strengthen record-keeping practices. Review supply-chain and labour-provider arrangements and conduct due diligence. Update HR compliance training. Review employment status and worker classification as misclassification of workers is a major enforcement focus. Conduct an internal “mock inspection” of your holiday pay calculations and minimum wage compliance.
October 2026	Prevention of Sexual Harassment	Employers must take “all reasonable steps” (an upgrade from “reasonable steps”) to prevent sexual harassment.	Conduct a specific risk assessment, implement a clear action plan, and install workplace signage or zero-tolerance terms in third-party (client/supplier) contracts.
October 2026	Third Party Harassment	Employers become liable for harassment of employees by third parties (e.g., customers) unless they took all reasonable steps to prevent it.	As above
October 2026	Fire-and-Rehire	Dismissing and rehiring staff on less favourable terms becomes automatically unfair, except in cases of extreme financial necessity.	Review current HR policies and contracts. Strengthen consultation procedures. Assess business rationale for contractual changes. Update HR training and manager guidance. Plan for risk management. Document everything.
October 2026	Tribunal Time Limits	The deadline for bringing most employment tribunal claims increases from three months to six months.	Review internal grievance and exit processes. Update HR training. Strengthen documentation and record-keeping. Review risk management for disputes. Align contracts and communications
1st October 2026	Trade Union Access	New statutory rights for unions to access workplaces to recruit members, hold meetings, and consult on collective matters.	Review workplace access policies. Define reasonable access arrangements. Train managers and HR staff. Review health and safety and security protocols. Align with wider industrial relations strategy. Document all interactions.
January 2027	Unfair Dismissal	From 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection will drop from two years to six months, and the compensation cap will be removed.	Review dismissal and redundancy policies. Strengthen consultation and documentation. Train managers and HR teams. Assess high‑risk dismissals. Align with wider workforce planning. Monitor tribunal deadlines and claim trends. Tighten recruitment and performance monitoring for anyone hired from July 2026 onwards.
2027	Zero-Hours Contracts	New rights to guaranteed hours based on regular working patterns and compensation for cancelled shifts are expected in 2027.	Audit current zero‑hours arrangements. Update contracts and HR documentation e.g. guaranteed hours offered. Adjust workforce planning and rostering. Prepare for tribunal risk and enforcement for workers not offered guaranteed hours. Communicate with staff and, where relevant, unions
2027	Flexible Working	Stronger requirements for employers to justify refusing flexible working requests.	Train managers to provide written, “reasonable” business justifications for refusing flexible working requests, as the legal threshold for refusal is set to increase.
April 2027	Equality Action Plans linked to gender pay gap reporting and menopause support	In 2026, equality action plans become an optional requirement. However, in 2027, they will become mandatory for employers with 250+ staff. Smaller employers are encouraged but not required to produce action plans.	Begin developing Equality Action Plans for gender pay gaps and menopause support; these are voluntary in 2026 but become mandatory in 2027.

What Powers will the Fair Work Agency have?

The UK Government say “The Fair Work Agency will have robust powers to investigate and tackle employers flouting the law, including workplace inspections, civil penalties for underpayments, and the ability to bring proceedings on workers’ behalf. It will also provide support to businesses on following employment laws, helping create a level playing field for all, where those who want to do the right thing aren’t undercut by those who don’t”.