Navigating the Employment Rights Act 2025
What’s changing, what it means for your business, and what to do next.
Here’s your handy guide to the UK’s most significant employment law shift in a generation.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 will change how businesses deal with people, policies, and legal risk, from daily HR decisions to long-term workforce strategy.
Our legal and HR experts break down the reforms that matter most, including:
- Updated unfair dismissal and trade union laws.
- New restrictions on fire and rehire.
- Family-friendly changes and updates to statutory sick pay.
- New rules around zero-hours contracts and shifts.
We have created 13 Spotlight Guides, each focusing on a specific issue and offering clear, actionable insights from the team trusted by thousands of UK employers.
Whether you’re looking for information and insights or need bespoke legal or HR support, we’re here to help you handle what’s ahead.
Employment Rights Act Planner
Download our free Employment Rights Act Planner which is designed to help employers prepare confidently for the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Audit and Impact Assessment
The Employment Rights Audit and Impact Assessment gives you a clear, practical view of how upcoming legal changes affect your business. With expert support from our HR consultants and a personal dashboard to keep everything in one place, you get an early, honest read on your readiness, clear priorities, and confidence that your policies, contracts, and processes are aligned with the new requirements.
Why this matters to you
The Employment Rights Act marks a step change in how employment rights are defined and enforced:
• Enhanced protections for workers mean increased legal risk, especially around dismissal, redundancy, harassment and changing contractual terms.
• Workforce structures will need updating, particularly around zero-hours, flexibility, trade unions and agency staff.
• HR teams will need time, clarity, and practical support to keep policies, contracts, and processes compliant.
What you need to do now
With some changes expected to take effect from early 2026, now’s the time for you to act:
• Get ready to review your current contracts and policies, especially around family-related leave, dismissal and flexible work.
• Equip managers and HR with focused training and decision-making tools.
• Stay close to ongoing Government consultations and regulatory guidance.
• Help shape the new laws by joining Make UK’s engagement with Government, including our consultation response work. Employers like you still have a voice; your feedback could influence what ultimately comes into force.
What’s changing and when
The Government has confirmed that the reforms will be rolled out in phases.
Use the roadmap to plan ahead and stay on top as each stage comes into force.
Understand what each reform means for you
We’ve broken down the key changes into Spotlight Guides focusing on specific areas so you can understand what’s shifting, who the changes affect and where to take action. Explore the series below and start preparing now:
Need support with the upcoming legal changes?
Whether you’re already getting prepared or you're just starting to explore your options, we’re here to help you plan for the Employment Rights Act changes and protect your business.
How we can help
- Sign up to our updates as the legal changes come in, so you can stay compliant and up to date.
- We have detailed HR and employment law guidance, template policies and letters on our website in the HR & Legal Resources section, which will be maintained as the changes come into force.
- Our team of employment lawyers is happy to help if you’ve got questions or need advice. And if you need hands-on support with any projects as you prepare for the changes, our HR and legal consultants can work with you to get the right steps in place and stay compliant.
- Use our ERA enquiry line ([email protected]) for real-time access to legal specialists when you need quick answers about the Employment Rights Act.
- Get a clear view of how the new Act affects your business with our Audit and Impact Assessment. The audit reviews your policies, contracts, and day to day HR practices against the new requirements, showing where risks sit and what needs to change.
- Download our free, comprehensive, and user-friendly Employment Rights Act 2025 Planner to help you prepare in good time.
- You can also shape future policy. We speak regularly with Government and feed into consultations, using input from businesses like yours.