Employee Rights Act “Make Work Pay” Reforms
Employee Rights Act | UK Government | “Make Work Pay” Reforms
Tailored for Senior HR Professionals
- Introduction of Day-One Employment Rights
- Expansion of Statutory Sick Pay and Parental Leave
- Tougher compliance on dismissals, harassment prevention, and third-party conduct
- Major reforms in union engagement, pay transparency, and employment terms
- Increased scrutiny around flexibility, contractual stability, and employee protections
Implementation Timeline - What to Expect & When
Effective Date Key HR-Relevant Measures
Requirement to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment
Trade Union statement requirement alongside terms
| April 2026 | Awaiting a date for The trade Union Act 2016 and Minimum Service Levels Act 2023 to be repealed |
| Protection from dismissal for industrial action | |
| Day-One rights to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave | |
| Statutory Sick Pay: paid from day one in April 2026, with the lower earnings limit removed | |
| Fair Work Agency established | |
| Protective award increase for failure to meeting obligations of Collective Consultations | |
| October 2026 | Ban on fire and rehire practices |
| Tipping law reforms | |
| New employment tribunal time limits | |
| 2027 | Day-One protection from unfair dismissal |
| Regulation of zero hours contracts will come into play. This is not an outright ban, but has the aim of reducing exploitative practices and giving employees minimum hours guarantee | |
| Enhanced rights for pregnant workers | |
| Gender pay gap and menopause action plans become mandatory, rather than recommended, for businesses 250+ employees | |
| Reforms to flexible working and bereavement leave policies | |
| Protection from unfair dismissal reducing from two years to six months from January 1st |
| 2025 – 2026 | Consultation Highlights |
| Dismissal procedures during probation | |
| Flexible working and redundancy thresholds | |
| Trade union reforms and workplace balloting | |
| Regulation of umbrella companies | |
| Pregnancy protection and bereavement leave | |
| HR Next Steps | Review and revise: contracts, handbooks, and policies |
| Prepare for system and process updates (e.g. SSP eligibility, leave tracking) | |
| Plan internal communications and manager training | |
| Engage with government and ACAS consultations | |
| Stay alert for updates to Codes of Practice and regulatory guidance | |
| Support Available | Government guidance (via Gov.uk) |
| ACAS: consultation input, guidance, and helpline | |
| New Fair Work Agency launching 2026 |
At CMA HR Recruitment, we partner with organisations to navigate workforce change – from interim HR support to permanent talent acquisition. Whether you’re planning restructures, strengthening compliance, or adjusting workforce strategy, we’re here to help.