Employment Rights Act: government sets out which changes arrive in each month of 2027

The government has filled in the calendar for the next stage of the Employment Rights Act 2025. A revised timeline, published on 22 October 2026, gives a month for most of the changes still to come in 2027. If you employ people, these are the dates to plan around.

Still to come this year

• 30 October 2026: employers must take "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment and must not permit harassment of staff by third parties, such as customers. Several trade union measures also start, including a stronger right of access for unions.
• 1 December 2026: new protection regulations for seafarers.

1 January 2027

This is the only 2027 date with a fixed day so far:

• the qualifying period for unfair dismissal falls to six months, for dismissals from 1 January 2027;
• the cap on the compensatory award for unfair dismissal is removed;
• employers get a duty to tell workers they have the right to join a trade union (an earlier version of the timeline had this in October 2026);
• the law on tips is strengthened.

Later in 2027 (month only)

• March: protections against fire and rehire. Public authorities must also publish gender equality and menopause action plans.
• April: private and voluntary sector employers' action plans, bereavement leave (including for pregnancy loss), wider protection against blacklisting, and a collective redundancy threshold counted across the whole organisation.
• August: electronic balloting for union recognition and derecognition.
• September: rules to stop non-disclosure agreements being misused in harassment or discrimination cases.
• October: stronger protection from dismissal for pregnant women and new mothers, and the changes to flexible working.
• December: regulation of umbrella companies.

No date yet

The right to guaranteed hours, reasonable notice of shifts and payment for shifts cancelled or changed at short notice — the measures for zero-hours and similar contracts — still have no start date. The government says it will set the timing after consultation.

The timeline also warns that every future date depends on Parliament and may change. Dates have already moved more than once.

What to do

1. Before 1 January, review probation periods and how you record performance concerns for staff in their first six months.
2. Before March, avoid planning changes to contracts that rely on dismissing and re-engaging staff without taking advice.
3. Put October 2027 in the diary for flexible working and pregnancy protection, and watch for the detailed regulations before then.