A small number of changes have already come into play:
1) On the 1st December, the ACAS early conciliation period extended from 6 to 12 weeks – meaning the mandatory service that aims to resolve workplace disputes before a tribunal claim, to avoid a claim, has been doubled to allow more time for negotiations and resolution. It is hoped this will give more time to negotiate, resolve and therefore reduce tribunal claims and caseload.
2) A repeal of the Minimum Service Level Rules for strikes – as soon as the Employment Rights Act became law, minimum service levels during strikes in key sectors were scrapped to strengthen the rights of working people and reduce barriers and red tape for Trade Unions to carry out strike action.
3) From 18th February 2026, stronger industrial action protections put in place, with the repeal of many parts of the Trade Union Act 2016:
The industrial relations arena just got a whole lot louder.
April 2026 is the first major change event in the series – a full‑blown Gladiators Powerball round of new rights.
Sexual harassment becomes a qualifying disclosure under whistleblowing policies and procedures, widening the protection for employees who report a concern.
A new enforcement champion arrives to unify existing bodies and oversee key rights like national minimum wage compliance including payment of holiday pay and SSP, agency worker protections and gangmaster licensing.
Higher standards for seafarers in health, safety, pay, and rest breaks.
When refusing a flexible working request, employers must:
An updated ACAS Code on this is also coming.
Clarification of “reasonable steps” standards.
Menopause and gender pay gap plans become compulsory for larger players (organisations with more than 250 employees).
Total redundancies across the whole organisation must be counted and collective consultation carried out as required.
Umbrella companies brought into agency worker enforcement scope.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 isn’t a single event — it’s a multi‑stage Gladiators tournament running from 2026 into 2027.
The Act has been called “the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation, and each whistle signals a fresh challenge, a new compliance measure to overcome and more opportunities to battle through the changes to become a best practice champion.
Have you got what it takes to succeed and become an employer of choice? Here are our top tips on what employers should be doing now, to get fighting fit and ready for the changes ahead:
Review existing handbooks, policies and employees contracts and identify which areas will need updating across 2026 – 27. Put a plan in place to begin drafting and updating the changes.
Ensure that line managers and leadership teams understand the upcoming changes, particularly in the following areas:
Take time to review and strengthen existing HR processes and procedures, particularly around:
Get ready early! Several of the reforms represent significant operational shifts, especially around unfair dismissal, shift notices, and guaranteed hours, and will take time to implement.
ACAS and GOV.UK will continue releasing consultation updates throughout 2026–27. At Metro HR, we will keep on top of these and can help explain what they actually mean in practice.
Working with an HR consultancy will be invaluable to help you stay on top of the rollout. Metro HR are here to guide and support you through every hurdle.
With all of that said, when the dust settles after the battles ahead, it is likely that organisations will see some increase in tribunal claims – as short-serving employees gain additional protections, and businesses race to become fully compliant.
HR Gladiators who prepare early, train hard and keep their armour well-polished put themselves in the best position to ‘dominate the arena’ and stay ahead of the curve.
We at Metro HR, along with thousands of other HR professionals around the UK, have been tracking, studying and training hard for this tournament… We’re armed and ready to help organisations navigate through this challenging time.
If you’d like to discuss how Metro HR can support your organisation to become ‘battle-ready’, click the button below to get in touch:
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