One of the Government’s key manifesto pledges included a promise to introduce new legislation to improve the rights of working people, which has since taken shape as the Employment Rights Bill (“ERB”). The ERB is currently due to receive its third reading in the House of Lords, scheduled to take place on 3 September 2025 with Royal Assent currently expected this autumn.

On 1 July 2025, the Government <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/686507a33b77477f9da0726e/implementing-the-employment-rights-bill-roadmap.pdf">published</a> its “Employment Rights Bill Implementation Roadmap”, setting out the current position on the numerous reforms planned in the ERB and the current timescales for when these changes will come into force. Whilst the ERB is continuing to progress, a number of its most significant measures will be introduced in stages, throughout 2026 and 2027, meaning the impact of the changes on employers will be spread out across a longer period of time.

Some of the key measures set for phased implementation include:

<strong>From April 2026</strong>
<ul>
 	<li>A day one right to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave</li>
 	<li>Doubling the maximum period of the collective redundancy protective award (from 90 days to 180 days’ pay per employee)</li>
 	<li>Whistleblowing protections</li>
 	<li>Changes to statutory sick pay limits and waiting periods</li>
 	<li>Establishing the “Fair Work Agency”</li>
</ul>
<strong>From October 2026</strong>
<ul>
 	<li>Extension of employment tribunal claim time limits from three months to six months</li>
 	<li>Restrictions on “fire and rehire” practices</li>
 	<li>Requirements for employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties and to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees</li>
</ul>
<strong>From 2027</strong>
<ul>
 	<li>A day one right to protection from unfair dismissal</li>
 	<li>Additional rights for pregnant workers</li>
 	<li>Changes to the collective redundancy consultation threshold</li>
 	<li>Changes to flexible working and bereavement leave</li>
 	<li>Restrictions on zero-hours contracts</li>
</ul>
<em>[For further insight on the key changes, see our recent coverage of the ERB and what you need to know </em><a href="https://pulsecreative-clients.com/staging/broadfield-law/thought-leadership/the-employment-rights-bill-what-you-need-to-know/"><em>here</em></a><em>]</em>

The Government has opted for this phased approach with the aim of allaying concerns, softening the impact on businesses and to allow additional time to prepare for the changes arriving with the ERB. However, it is also clear that these changes, including the longer employment tribunal time limits, stricter rules on zero-hours contracts and in particular, the expanded day one right to protection from unfair dismissal, will add further pressure on the employment tribunals and on employers in the short- to medium-term and beyond.

In its “Economic Analysis” of the ERB <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6842fa6e4d039a010411f076/employment-rights-bill-economic-analysis.pdf">published</a> in October 2024, the Government identified that the changes would result in “increased funding pressures on the Employment Tribunal system.” In addition, impact assessments <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments#employment-rights-bill-economic-analysis-and-summary-impact-assessment">published</a> by the Department for Business and Trade on the day one right to protection from unfair dismissal and the extension of tribunal time limits on 21 October 2024 and 4 March 2025 respectively, found that whilst access to justice and time allowed for negotiation between employees and employers would improve, the overall impact to businesses would be “expected to be negative and driven by costs associated with additional early conciliation and tribunal cases.” Employers should therefore look to take action to prepare now, to navigate the reforms and understand the individual impact, costs and risks to business operations and the workforce.