From day one to dismissal – how the Employment Rights Act 2025 will shape the employment lifecycle

The new Employment Rights Act signals the start of a significant overhaul of employment law rights as we know it. With reforms spanning the full employment lifecycle, employers of all sizes and across all sectors will have a lot to contend with as they look to comply.

This webinar offered a straightforward explanation of the key reforms and how they will operate. We addressed the new obligations as they apply across each stage of the employment lifecycle helping you understand what the reforms mean for your organisation in practical terms.

Event details

Date: 20 January 2026

Time: 12pm – 1pm

Agenda

In particular, our employment law specialists discussed the following areas:

Contractual rights

• New restrictions on changing terms and conditions of employment
• New rules for zero/ low hours contracts
• Changes to the management of shifts

Leave and pay rights

• Extension of statutory sick pay entitlement
• New and enhanced leave rights
• Holiday record-keeping requirements

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

• Strengthened protections against harassment, including third-party harassment
• Changes to the use of non-disclosure agreements
• Flexible working reforms
• New requirements for pay gap reporting

Trade unions and worker voice

• Trade union recognition and rights of access
• Reforms to industrial action requirements

Dismissal

• Expanded unfair dismissal protection
• Changes to collective redundancy processes
• Dismissal protections for new parents

Enforcement

• Employment Tribunal time limits
• Introduction to the Fair Work Agency