Employees have a raft of new rights.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is being gradually phased in during this year and next – but lots of the headline measures are kicking in now.
They are, as listed on the government website:
Statutory sick pay: More employees qualify, with no earnings threshold and no three-day waiting period.
Day-one family leave: Employees are entitled to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave from the first day in a new job – previously, it kicked in after 26 weeks.
Bereaved partner’s paternity leave: New right to time off following the death of a child’s mother or primary adopter, within the first year of the child’s life or adoption.
Collective redundancy protections: An increase to the protective award to employees if firms don’t meet their collective redundancy obligations.
Whistleblowing protections: Stronger protections for workers who report sexual harassment.
Simpler enforcement through the Fair Work Agency: A new body to uphold workers’ rights and support businesses with compliance.
Holiday pay records: Employers are required to keep adequate records to show they have complied with holiday pay and entitlement rules. These records need to be retained for six years from the date they were made.
Action plans: Employers with 250 or more employees are encouraged to publish the steps they are taking to reduce their gender pay gap and support employees experiencing menopause.
The sick pay change means more low-income and irregular hours workers will be eligible, as the minimum earnings requirement has been scrapped.
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Changes to unfair dismissal protections will be introduced on 1 January 2027.
Further changes will also be introduced across 2026 and 2027, including changes to trade union legislation and reforms to protect employees against harassment.
