Employment Rights Bill: Your Roadmap to Implementation (2025–2027)
On 1 July 2025, the UK Government published its long-awaited Employment Rights Bill Implementation Roadmap, detailing how sweeping changes to employment law will roll out over the coming years.
Designed to boost living standards and fair work, these reforms give both employers and employees a clear timeline, from trade union enhancements in 2025 to day-one unfair dismissal protection in 2027.
Autumn 2025: Kick-Off with Trade Union Reforms
Several trade union laws will be repealed, simplifying recognition processes and making balloting more accessible.
Employers must notify new hires of their right to join a trade union.
Protections will be introduced for employees facing dismissal due to industrial action.
Consultations will launch on bereavement leave, baby loss, pregnancy protections, umbrella companies, fire-and-rehire, and zero-hours contract reform.
April 2026: Strengthening Sick Pay, Leave Entitlements & Enforcement
Key milestones expected to take effect include:
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) reform: Removal of the lower earnings limit and start of pay from day one for all employees.
Day-one rights for paternity leave and unpaid parental leave.
The launch of a new Fair Work Agency, consolidating enforcement functions to better uphold workplace rights.
Collective redundancy protective awards increased from 90 to 180 days’ pay.
Enhanced protections for whistleblowers and easier trade union recognition and balloting mechanisms.
October 2026: Proactive Protection & Workplace Culture
Fire-and-rehire practices will be subject to an effective ban - dismissal followed by re-engagement on new terms becomes an automatic unfair dismissal, with narrow exceptions.
Employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including harassment by third parties such as clients or customers.
Employment tribunal time limits extend from three to six months.
Employers will need to inform employees about their right to union membership.
Updates will be made to tipping laws and a new Fair Pay Agreement body for adult social care will be established.
2027: Day-One Unfair Dismissal & Broader Worker Protections
Major changes set for 2027 include:
Day-one unfair dismissal protection will come into force. Employees will no longer need two years’ service to be protected against unfair dismissal. This will be balanced by a statutory probation period, proposed at nine months, during which dismissals can be handled with a lighter-touch process.
A new right to bereavement leave of at least one week will apply from day one of employment. Unlike the current law (which only applies to parents of children under 18), this will cover a much wider range of circumstances, including miscarriages before the 24th week of pregnancy.
Flexible working will become the default. Employers will only be able to refuse a request if they can show their refusal is reasonable, going beyond the current grounds-based rejection system.
Collective redundancy procedures will be extended. The existing “at one establishment” rule will be removed, meaning redundancies will be counted across all sites and branches of a business. A consultation will confirm the thresholds that trigger collective consultation duties.
Pregnancy and maternity protections will be further strengthened. Employees who are pregnant, on maternity leave, or within six months of returning to work will have enhanced protection against dismissal beyond current redundancy safeguards.
Zero-hours and low-hours workers will gain new rights. Employers will need to provide reasonable notice of shifts, compensate for last-minute cancellations or early finishes, and offer guaranteed hours contracts reflecting regular patterns of work. Workers may choose to remain on flexible contracts if they wish.
Large employers (250+ staff) will be required to publish menopause action plans and gender pay gap action plans, moving beyond policy statements to demonstrate active steps to support employees and reduce inequalities.
Beyond the Bill: Ongoing Reviews & Leadership Vision
The roadmap also signals future reviews and non-legislative actions, including:
Parental leave and carer’s leave reviews.
Reform of employment status (e.g., single worker status) and TUPE.
Guidance on surveillance technologies, health and wellbeing, and extending equal pay protections.
Developing an equal pay enforcement unit and reforming procurement and grievance systems.
Extending the Freedom of Information Act to private companies that hold public contracts
What Isn’t Included in the Bill
While the Employment Rights Bill is extensive, several proposals will be pursued separately, either through different legislation, guidance, or non-legislative measures. These include:
A ‘right to disconnect’ outside of working hours.
Guidance to support workers with a terminal illness through the Dying to Work Charter.
Updated health and safety guidance, including modernisation for today’s workplaces.
Enacting the socioeconomic duty, extending the Public Sector Equality Duty to cover more organisations.
New guidance for employers on menopause, health, and wellbeing.
Extending pay gap reporting to include ethnicity and disability (for employers with 250+ staff).
Extending equal pay rights to cover race and disability, and strengthening enforcement by creating a dedicated equal pay regulatory unit.
Ensuring outsourcing of services cannot be used to avoid paying equal wages.
These changes reflect the government’s wider ambition for a modern, fair, and inclusive workplace, but will not form part of the Employment Rights Bill itself.
What This Means for Fairmont Crest Clients
At Fairmont Crest, we’re partnering with employers to navigate these landmark shifts, from policy changes waiting just around the corner to planning for structural workplace strategies in 2027 and beyond.
How we can help you:
Policy & contract reviews to ensure compliance with new day-one rights and redundancy protections.
Payroll and HR system updates, particularly for SSP reforms and tribunal deadlines.
Training, especially around harassment prevention and trade union engagement.
Action planning for gender pay and menopause support for larger employers.
Zero-hours contract restructuring support, balancing flexibility with compliance.
Ready to prepare your organisation?
Contact us today to stay ahead of every Employment Rights Bill milestone and build a resilient, fair workplace ready for 2027 and beyond.