Employment Rights Act 2025: The Employer’s Practical Guide to Preparing for Change

Course Aim

The Employment Rights Act represents one of the most significant changes to UK employment law in decades, introducing a substantial programme of reforms that will affect employers across almost every stage of the employment relationship.

This practical course is designed to cut through the volume and complexity of the changes and give business owners, HR professionals and managers a clear understanding of what is changing, when it is changing and, importantly, what they need to do about it.

Target Audience

Business owners, HR professionals and managers wanting to be kept up to date with exactly what is changing and when, the actions that they need to take to ensure compliance and the penalties and risks attached to non- compliance.

Course Objectives

• Ensure delegates understand the key employment law reforms being introduced and the implementation timetable.
• Ensure delegates understand the risks and penalties associated with non compliance.
• Ensure delegates leave with clear, practical actions that can be taken back to the workplace to help prepare the organisation for the changes and to ensure compliance.

Course Overview

With a raft of legislative changes being implemented in phases throughout 2026 and 2027, Lousha Reynolds, a specialist employment lawyer from Refreshing Law, will talk you through the changes that have already been implemented, the changes still to come in 2026 as well as guiding you through what to expect for 2027.

We recognise that, with so much employment law change on the horizon and continued movement around exactly what those changes will look like and when they will take effect, keeping up can feel like a full-time job!

That’s why we’ve created this practical half-day course, bringing everything together in one comprehensive session. We’ll bring you fully up to speed with the latest legislative changes and developments, while providing practical guidance on what they mean for your organisation and, importantly, what you need to do to prepare.

The course will cover the following:

April 2026:

• Changes to SSP
• Day One Paternity & Parental Leave
• Collective Redundancies
• Sexual Harassment and whistleblowing
• The Fair Work Agency

October 2026:

• Third Party Harassment & Sexual Harassment- what all reasonable steps means for your organisation & clients
• Trade Union Reforms (which apply to those organisations that have never had any union involvement)
• Changes to Tribunal Time Limits

2027:

• Unfair dismissal- reduction of qualifying period & removal of compensation cap, and what this means for your probationary periods
• Fire & Rehire
• Enhanced dismissal protection for pregnant employees and those returning from maternity leave
• Bereavement leave
• Flexible working
• Changes to zero/low hours workers rights

Format of Delivery

Face to face

Related Courses

With a huge rise in AI assisted grievances, we are considering running a separate course to assist business owners and HR practitioners in navigating this changed landscape, as well as providing guidance on managing disciplinaries and grievances more generally- which will involve exploring best practice, common pitfalls and how to handle complex issues confidently, all whilst ensuring that you stay legally compliant.