Employment Rights Bill update #4
So, the landscape on this has changed quite a bit since our last newsletter.
A new roadmap was published on the 1st July which really does emphasise the importance of not panicking over any of this as the twists and turns we’ve already seen have been crazy. Basically, everything has been pushed back timescale wise.
Here’s a bit of a whistlestop tour of the main changes which impact on small businesses:
Changes now expected in April 2026:
◼ Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) – was due to come in this Autumn but has been pushed back to April 2026. The 3 day waiting period will be scrapped and SSP will be available for low-paid workers.
◼ Day 1 family rights; paternity and unpaid parental leave.
◼ Introduction of the Fair Work Agency – a new agency to tackle smaller concerns and to try and keep these out of the tribunal process. For example, issues over holiday pay, pay disputes.
Changes expected in October 2026:
◼ Tribunal timescales – increasing the time limit to bring a claim from 3 to 6 months. This will most definitely impact on tribunal waiting timescales which are already lengthy.
◼ Increased protections against harassment and sexual harassment.
◼ New rights and protections for trade union reps.
Changes now expected in 2027:
◼ Day 1 rights for unfair dismissal – this has been pushed way down the tracks – initial thoughts were Autumn 2026 but we’re now looking at 2027.
◼ Zero hours contracts and extra requirements – this has also been pushed back to 2027 and has been watered down from the original proposal.
◼ Flexible working – employers will need more stringent business reasons for refusing a request.
As always, Mint will keep our clients up to date nearer the time re specific changes. We’ll be starting work in February on the required updates to employee handbooks and policies.
