Employment Rights changes timeline

Upcoming employment rights changes

The future dates remain subject to parliamentary processes and may change.

Changes from 1 January 2027:

• Unfair dismissal protections will change from 1 January 2027, including a shorter qualifying period and the removal of the compensatory award cap.
• The duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union will be introduced.
• Strengthening tipping law.

Timeline for further changes

View the full employment rights implementation delivery timelineopens www.gov.uk in a new tab provides more information on when changes are happening.

Employment rights changes already in force

Changes introduced in February 2026

• Trade Union Measures: simpler requirements for trade unions, including in relation to industrial action.

Changed introduced in April 2026

• 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.
• Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave: new right to time off following the death of a child's mother or primary adopter.
• Collective redundancy protections: increase to the protective award for non-compliance.
• 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 6 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.
• Simplifying the trade union recognition process: simple-majority only required for recognition ballots and likely-majority test no longer required for recognition applications.

Changes introduced in August 2026

• Electronic and workplace balloting for statutory trade union ballots.

Changes introduced in October 2026

• Employment Tribunal time limits: The time limit for bringing a claim to the Employment Tribunal increased from 3 to 6 months.
• Trade union reforms:
• Right of access into workplaces: independent trade unions have a new legal right to access workplaces and engage with workers, either in-person or virtually.
• Further changes to trade union law, including earlier union access to workers during the recognition process, strengthened rights for workplace representatives to paid time off and facility access, and protection from detriments for industrial action
• Harassment protections:
• Workplace sexual harassment: employers are required to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.
• Third-party harassment: employers must not permit the harassment of their employees by third parties.