⏰ UK Employment Law Overhaul: A Multi-Year Roadmap for Change ⚖️
- lansburyservices
- Oct 17
- 2 min read
What’s Changing?
The UK is currently undertaking the most significant overhaul of employment rights in a generation, primarily driven by the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill. The government has released its roadmap detailing the staged implementation of this massive legislation, beginning in Autumn 2025 and extending through 2027 and beyond. This plan signals a fundamental shift in employee-employer relations, industrial action rules, and protections against discrimination, moving swiftly beyond 'recent developments' like the April 2025 increases in the National Living Wage (£12.21/hr) and Statutory Family Leave Pay (£187.18/week).
What does this mean for you?
What this means for employers is a need for multi-year strategic planning across nearly all HR functions. The core risk is the progressive erosion of the two-year service barrier for unfair dismissal (expected in 2027), which—even with a statutory probation period—demands rigorous, well-documented performance management from day one. You also face a significant increase in legal exposure: the maximum collective redundancy protective award is doubling to 180 days' pay (April 2026), and employers must actively prevent harassment by third parties (October 2026). Furthermore, the planned mandatory gender pay gap and menopause action plans (2027) will force a public commitment to workplace equity.
Our Advice? HR must execute a phased compliance strategy mapped to this timeline.
Action 1: Prioritize 2026 Readiness. Focus immediately on revising redundancy procedures (due to the doubling of the protective award) and training managers on the new Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rules (no lower earnings limit or waiting period from April 2026).
Action 2: Prepare for 2027's Day One Rights. Begin auditing and simplifying your dismissal and onboarding processes now to prepare for the end of the two-year unfair dismissal qualification period and new restrictions on 'fire and re-hire.'
Action 3: Monitor Legislative Bills. Closely track the proposed Equality (Race and Disability) Bill and the Bullying and Respect at Work Bill, as these will necessitate new mandatory pay reporting and anti-bullying policies in the near future.
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