Employment Rights Bill set to become the Employment Rights Act 2025, what you need to do now

What happens first, and what changes immediately?

One change is due to happen straight away on Royal Assent and it affects key public sector services including local government, education, fire and rescue, and health services.

The rules on minimum service levels during a strike will no longer apply from the date the Bill receives Royal Assent. Within two months of Royal Assent, administration rules around industrial action will also change. 

The biggest changes for most employers start April 2026

The most significant changes that will affect all employers are due to apply from April 2026. That means now is the time to:

Review and refresh your people policies and processes
Check your manager capability, confidence, and consistency
Plan training for managers and leaders, who will be crucial to applying the new rules fairly and well

How we can help you...

We can support you through the milestones, from understanding what is changing to updating policies, processes, and practice.

SEE Partnership Hub: Members have access to a suite of template policies, guides and letters ready to download and use. We will continue developing resources throughout 2026, with the goal of creating a practical one stop shop for key people policies, guidance, and template documents.

Consultancy and audits: We offer expert consultancy on all aspects of the Employment Rights Act 2025, including support with HR and People Policy Audits.

Learning and development: In early 2026 we will further enhance our learning and development offer, with a 20% discount for members. Training can be delivered online or on site, and aligned to your organisation’s needs.

Training options delivered by our experts

We offer three levels depending on learning needs:

1. HR and other professionals Overview of the Employment Rights Act 2025, including how to review, develop and implement within your organisation.
2. People managers Interpretation and application in your team or service area, including undertaking service reviews.
3. Trade unions and EDI leads Overview for those involved in consultation processes and/or responsible for Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity.

Examples of upcoming changes to plan for now

Unfair dismissal

From 1 January 2027, qualifying service for unfair dismissal will reduce from two years to six months.

You could start preparing by:

• Ensuring recruitment policies and procedures are robust
• Refining onboarding and new starter processes, to set people up for success early
• Reviewing probation policies and practice, so they are clear, fair, and consistently applied

Statutory Sick Pay

From April 2026, employees will be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay from the first day of absence (instead of day four). From then, those earning below the lower earnings limit will also be entitled to some form of SSP.

You should:

• Strengthen health and wellbeing approaches that reduce avoidable absence
• Ensure absence management processes are robust for both short and long-term absence, as sickness absence becomes more costly

Join our networks

Make sure you are are joining our networks to support collaboration across the South East on the practical impact of these legislative changes. Meet SEE experts and guest speakers across a wide range of employment topics.

For more information, contact the HR and Employment Services team: advice@seemp.co.uk or call 01962 840 664.