Employment Rights: What’s changing, when and how do you keep up?
For those in the employment rights space, the landscape has felt increasingly uncertain over the last few years, with the ground seemingly shifting beneath our feet.
What is certain?
When every other news article describes a new proposal that may, or may not, be introduced in the distant future it can all start to feel very uncertain.
While the timetable is still subject to some official parliamentary processes, several changes are confirmed or clearly state implementation dates which we would like to hope are ‘set in stone’…
From 30th October 2026 the updates include stronger harassment protections. Employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees, and an obligation not to permit harassment by third parties. What are reasonable steps will depend on the business’s sector, size and type of work that is undertaken.
The same date is also expected to see the introduction of a statutory framework giving qualifying independent trade unions rights to request access to workplaces and communicate with workers, alongside other trade union reforms.
Employment Tribunal time limit changes mean that with a workplace issue occurring on or after 1st October 2026, an employee will have 6 months from the date of an issue (increased from 3 months) to make a claim with an Employment Tribunal, which provides both parties with double the time to reach a resolution.
From January 2027 there is arguably the biggest shift of all. Employees who have 6 months of service or more will have unfair dismissal protections (reduced from 2 years’ service). For employers, this significantly shortens the window in which those protections previously did not apply and makes those early months of employment even more important
There are potentially more changes coming later in 2027 and the current list spans bereavement leave, flexible working, pregnancy and maternity rights, zero-hours workers, collective redundancy thresholds and more trade union reforms. Will all of these come into force? It is hard to say for sure. They may be delayed further, but one thing is certain: this list is sure to grow!
How can businesses keep up?
It would be hard to deny that these new rights address modern challenges and provide enhanced security to a greater number of workers. For many business owners they also pose a few challenges!
Firstly, it’s important to keep a clear distinction between what has been proposed, what has been confirmed and what is in force. Not every announcement requires immediate action, but knowing what is coming allows you to plan for your business rather than react.
The second challenge is understanding the impact of new rights and what might need to change. For example, with unfair dismissal protection applying much earlier in the employment relationship, good management and record keeping will become even more important. The answer isn’t simply to make decisions faster, but to make better decisions earlier. It is worth reviewing contracts, probationary periods and the way you manage those first few months of employment - in practice, your managers should understand how to address issues promptly, fairly and consistently rather than allowing them to drift.
Whilst we don’t have the benefit of a crystal ball to predict what is next, our HR expertise and knowledge ensure that our clients’ policies and practices remain compliant – saving them that challenge, at least!
Written by Abigail Buckley, HR Business Partner