Employment Rights Act 2025: What's In Force, What's Next & How to Prepare

The Employment Rights Act 2025 became law in December 2025 — and if you haven't looked at it properly yet, this webinar is for you.

The good news? Not everything has changed at once. The changes are being rolled out in phases throughout 2026 and 2027. The not-so-good news? Several significant changes came into force in April 2026 — and a few more big ones are on their way.

Whether you're an employer trying to figure out what you need to do right now, an HR professional keeping on top of the changes, or an employee wondering what new rights you actually have — this is the hour that gets you up to speed.

What's already in force: Statutory Sick Pay now starts from day one — the old three-day wait is gone. Paternity leave and unpaid parental leave are now day-one rights — no more qualifying periods. The maximum protective award for collective redundancy failures has doubled from 90 to 180 days' pay. Sexual harassment is now a protected whistleblowing disclosure. The Fair Work Agency launched on 7 April 2026 — a new enforcement body with serious powers. Employers must now keep holiday and leave records for six years — and failure to do so is a criminal offence.

What's coming next — and when: The Employment Tribunal time limit increases from three to six months from October 2026. Unfair dismissal qualifying period drops from two years to just six months from January 2027 — this is the big one. Fire and rehire restrictions come into force January 2027. Zero-hours contract reforms arrive in 2027. Mandatory gender pay gap and menopause action plans for large employers — 2027.

How to prepare: We'll walk through practical steps for both employers and employees — what to update, what to review, and what to get ahead of before the 2027 changes land.

This webinar is completely free. We'll send you the joining link the day before.

See you on Thursday. ??

This event is delivered by CulturaLinks Community CIC through its HRnexus AI programme.