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hello@hr-surgery.co.uk   |   01932 239830   Our current job vacancies
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Employment Rights Act 2025 Hub

Last updated : 28 September 2026

Employment law is changing significantly throughout 2026 and 2027.

Our Employment Rights Act Hub brings together practical guidance on what has already changed, what’s coming next and the steps employers should be taking to prepare. 

***NEW: Key Employment Law Changes – October 2026***

A number of important employment law changes are coming into effect this October, including significant measures under the Employment Rights Act 2025. 

Download our practical October 2026 guide to find out what’s changing, when it’s happening and what your business needs to do to prepare. 

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive ongoing updates as further changes are confirmed.

What’s changing in October 2026? 

Employment tribunal time limits – from 1 October 

The time limit for bringing the majority of employment tribunal claims will increase from three months to six months, giving employees considerably longer to bring a claim.  

👉🏼 Action: Make sure employment decisions and processes are properly documented and review your HR record-retention arrangements. 

Right to Work checks extended – from 1 October 

Right to Work checks will be extended beyond employees to cover a wider range of people working for a business, including casual workers, zero-hours workers, other workers who are not employees and individual subcontractors.  

👉🏼 Action: Review the different categories of people working for your business and make sure the appropriate Right to Work checks are carried out before they start work. 

Stronger protections against harassment – from 30 October 

Employers will have a strengthened duty to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of employees and will also be liable for third-party harassment, including harassment by customers, clients and other non-employees.  

👉🏼 Action: Review your policies and workplace risk assessments, ensure employees and managers receive appropriate training, and consider how you will manage the risk of third-party harassment. 

We can help: We offer practical, interactive training for employees and managers to help you stay compliant and minimise risk. 

Trade union workplace access rights – from 30 October 

Independent trade unions will have a new legal right to access workplaces and engage with workers, either in person or digitally. The new workplace access arrangements will apply to employers with 21 or more workers. Trade union representatives will also receive strengthened rights and protections. 

👉🏼 Action: If you employ 21 or more workers, understand the new workplace access arrangements and what to do if you receive an access request from a trade union. 

Strengthening of tipping law – by the end of 2026 

Employers will need to consult workers when developing or reviewing their tipping policy and review it at least every three years. This will be particularly relevant to businesses where tips and service charges are common.  

👉🏼 Action: If tipping applies to your business, make sure you have an appropriate written policy and are ready to consult staff when it is reviewed. 

Prepare now: changes from January 2027 

Unfair dismissal – from 1 January 

The qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal will reduce from two years to six months, and the existing cap on compensatory awards for successful unfair dismissal claims will be removed.  

These changes increase the importance of getting recruitment, probation, performance management and dismissal processes right. 

👉🏼 Action: Review your approach now and make sure concerns are identified, documented and addressed promptly and fairly. 

Right to information about trade union membership – from January 

Employers will need to provide workers with written information about their right to join a trade union. 

👉🏼 Action: Be ready to provide the required information about trade union membership. 

Care sector update 

A new Adult Social Care Negotiating Body is being established in England as the first step towards a Fair Pay Agreement for the sector. There are no immediate changes to employment contracts or payroll required in October, and we will keep you updated as further detail develops.  

Changes already in force from April 2026 

A number of important measures took effect earlier this year, including changes affecting: 

  • Statutory Sick Pay, including day-one entitlement 
  • Family leave, including day-one rights to paternity and unpaid parental leave 
  • Whistleblowing protections relating to sexual harassment 
  • Collective redundancy, including increased protective awards 
  • Fair Work Agency enforcement 
  • Tribunal and statutory compensation limits 
  • National Minimum Wage and statutory pay rates 

Employers should already have reviewed relevant policies, contracts, payroll arrangements and HR processes to reflect these changes. 

Read our April employment law update: what employers need to do 

Looking ahead to 2027 

October is not the end of the reform programme. Further changes are expected during 2027, including reforms affecting: 

  • fire and rehire 
  • flexible working 
  • zero-hours contracts 
  • maternity and family-related protections.  

We’ll continue to update this Hub as further regulations, guidance and implementation details are confirmed. 

What this means for employers 

With employment rights expanding and the risk attached to getting employment processes wrong increasing, employers should be reviewing their HR arrangements now rather than waiting for each change to take effect. 

Key areas to consider include employment contracts and policies; recruitment, onboarding and probation; performance management and dismissal; anti-harassment and anti-sexual harassment procedures and training; Right to Work processes; employee communication; record keeping; and manager capability. 

How we can help 

At HR Surgery, we provide straightforward advice and pragmatic support to help businesses manage employment law changes in a practical, commercially sensible way. 

We can help you review and update contracts and policies, strengthen HR processes, train and support managers and employees, and implement the changes in a manageable way. 

Many of our clients choose ongoing support so we can manage each phase of the legislation with them as changes come into force, rather than needing to revisit this separately each time. 

👉🏼 If you’d like to understand what these changes mean for your business, get in touch at hello@hr-surgery.co.uk.