Roadmap announced for the Employment Rights Bill UK

After years of talk and stop-start politics, we finally have a roadmap for the Employment Rights Bill UK. It’s not headline-grabbing reform in one fell swoop, but over the next two years, we’re going to see a steady stream of legal changes that will reshape key parts of how UK employment law works.

This matters, whether you’re running an SME, managing a team, or advising employers. These changes will affect how you hire, manage, discipline, dismiss, and support your staff.

We have provided a phase-by-phase breakdown of what’s coming and what Employers need to do.

Phase 1 – Autumn 2025: Laying the Foundations

The first wave is mostly about resetting the industrial relations landscape.

• Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 repealed
• Key parts of the Trade Union Act 2016 repealed
• Automatic unfair dismissal protection for lawful industrial action

This signals a shift back towards stronger trade union rights. Employers who’ve been relying on tighter restrictions around strikes will need to rethink their approach,  especially in sectors where union activity is on the rise.

How to prepare: Review your policies on industrial action and update your manager guidance. Dismissing someone for striking is going to be a riskier move.

Phase 2 – April 2026: New Day-One Rights – Tougher Enforcement

This is where it starts to hit everyday HR practice.

• Statutory sick pay: Becomes a day-one right. No waiting days. No earnings threshold.
• Paternity and unpaid parental leave: Also day-one rights.
• Whistleblowing protection: Strengthened and available from day one.
• New enforcement body: The Fair Work Agency launches, with powers to investigate and issue penalties.
• Collective redundancy: Protective awards double from 90 to 180 days’ pay.

This phase puts pressure on SMEs in particular. Processes that were once left to policy (like waiting periods or qualifying periods) will become legal obligations.

How to prepare:

• Audit your contracts, policies, and onboarding docs.
• Strip out waiting days for SSP and remove any pay thresholds.
• Get your management team trained on whistleblowing, parental leave rights, and collective consultation.

Phase 3 – October 2026: Raising the Bar on Workplace Culture

This is the bit that will trip up employers who think policies equal culture.

• New “fire and rehire” rules: Employers must prove they tried all reasonable alternatives before dismissing and rehiring on worse terms.
• New duty to prevent harassment: Including third-party harassment (think clients, customers, suppliers).
• Tipping reforms: All tips must go to staff. Transparent written policies required.
• Tribunal time limits extended: Employees will have longer to bring claims.
• Strengthened rights for union reps

How to prepare:

• Review how you manage contractual changes. “Take it or leave it” won’t cut it.
• Don’t wait for harassment complaints. Train staff, fix blind spots, and document your prevention efforts.
• Update your grievance and complaints handling policies for longer timelines.

Phase 4 – 2027 (Exact dates TBC): Structural Reform

This phase goes deeper, changing the legal framework that underpins contracts and dismissals.

• Unfair dismissal becomes a day-one right (There will be a new statutory probation period, but this fundamentally changes the risk position)
• Zero-hours workers: Right to request guaranteed hours after 12 weeks
• New rights: Statutory bereavement leave, more flexible working rights, action plans for gender pay gap and menopause
• Umbrella companies: Regulation and oversight introduced
• Additional protections: For pregnant workers, and more scrutiny of exploitative agency models

This is arguably the biggest shift. It removes one of the core tools used by many SMEs, namely, the ability to let someone go within two years without having to show fairness. That protection is going.

How to prepare:

• Rethink how you approach probation periods and early-stage dismissals.
• Track hours worked by zero-hours staff, and plan for how you’ll handle guaranteed-hour requests.
• Expect menopause and gender transparency to move from “wellbeing initiatives” to compliance obligations.

What Does This Mean in Plain Terms?

It means employment law is being modernised, and employers will have to modernise with it. Gone are the days of quiet flexibility around sick pay, loose probation rules, or hoping your handbook will tick the box for harassment training.

This roadmap gives us time, but not a lot of it. If you wait until 2026 to make changes, you’ll be scrambling.

What Employers Should Be Doing Now

• Contracts: Strip out outdated SSP rules, paternity leave waiting periods, and qualifying thresholds
• Policies: Update whistleblowing, flexible working, redundancy, and harassment
• Training: Prep managers now, especially on probation dismissals, fire-and-rehire, and parental leave
• Data: Start tracking zero-hours usage, flexible working requests, and complaints data
• Culture: Don’t rely on minimum standards, start shifting practice ahead of the curve

Employers don’t need to panic, but they do need to act. If you want clear, practical support, get in touch. HPC can provide solid advice and proper planning to help you prepare for the changes to come.

To find out more information or to discuss the Employment Rights Bill UK, please get in contact with our team of experts.

T: 0330 107 1037

E: contact@hpc.uk.com

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