On 1 July 2025, the UK Government published a ‘roadmap’ setting out anticipated timelines for implementing the reforms in its Employment Rights Bill, marking a significant shift in workplace regulation.

The roadmap at a glance:

The UK Government has signalled its intention to provide further clarity to all stakeholders on the operation and impact of the Bill. Consequently, it sets out a planned consultation timetable for key changes. Consultations will begin in summer 2025 and will conclude in early 2026. 

Based on the roadmap, the new measures will come into force in four staggered implementation periods to give employers the time and certainty they need to adapt to the changes. Some of the key changes included are set out below. 

As soon as (or shortly after) the Bill becomes law:

• Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and most of the Trade Union Act 2016
• Protections against dismissal for taking industrial action

April 2026:

• Doubling the maximum period of the protective award for collective redundancies
• Paternity and unpaid parental leave from ‘day 1’ of employment
• Enhanced whistleblowing protections 
• Establishment of the ‘Fair Work Agency’
• Removal of the waiting period and Lower Earning Limit for Statutory Sick Pay
• Voluntary gender pay gap and menopause action plans 

October 2026:

• Effective ‘fire and rehire’ ban
• Duty for employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment
• Extended Employment Tribunal time limits
• Increased trade union rights 

2027:

• Protection from unfair dismissal from ‘day 1’ of employment
• Mandatory gender pay gap and menopause action plans
• Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers
• Increased access to flexible working 
• Expanded bereavement leave
• Protections against exploitative zero-hours contracts 

Implications for employers:

Now that employers have a better idea of when these reforms will come into effect, they can proceed with more precise planning and risk management. In particular, employers should:

• Review and update policies, handbooks and employment contracts to ensure continued compliance with the law
• Adjust internal systems (e.g. that calculate Statutory Sick Pay entitlement) so that they operate in accordance with the law
• Deliver training to managers on new and amended measures
• For employers with 250 or more employees, begin putting mechanisms in place in order that both gender pay gap and menopause data can be collected ahead of the publishing of action plans being made compulsory

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this article, please contact Jonathan C. Maude at jmaude@vedderprice.com, Rachel Easton at reaston@vedderprice.com, Daniel Stander at dstander@vedderprice.com, Eve Hoban at ehoban@vedderprice.com or any other Vedder Price attorney with whom you have worked.