Implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025

The reforms introduced through the Employment Rights Act 2025, will be delivered in phases so that employers, businesses and workers have time to plan and prepare.

Despite ongoing engagement and consultation on the implementation of the ERA 2025, the Government has published a Policy Paper, dated 11 February 2026, entitled Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act: timeline update.

The latest timetable for key changes being introduced in 2026 has been set out below:

Measures that took effect on 18 February 2026 

• Protections against dismissal for taking industrial action 

Measures that will take effect on 6 April 2026 

• ‘Day 1’ Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave
• Whistleblowing – strengthening protections for workers who ‘blow the whistle’ on sexual harassment 
• Bereaved Partners’ Paternity Leave – will enable bereaved fathers and partners to take up to 52 weeks of paternity leave if the mother dies within the first year of the child’s life  

Measures that will take effect in October 2026 

• Requiring employers to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their employees 
• Introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties 
• Tightening tipping law 
• The duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union 

Measures that will take effect no earlier than October 2026 

• Employment tribunal time limits

Measures that will take effect in January 2027

• Reduction of unfair dismissal qualifying period to 6 months, for dismissals from 1 January 2027, and uncapping compensatory awards
• Fire and rehire protections

Measures that will take effect in 2027

• Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers  
• Action plans on gender equality and supporting employees through the menopause (mandatory) 
• Flexible working 
• Bereavement leave including pregnancy loss