Soundbite: Key Employment Law Changes in April 2026 – Employment Rights Act 2025
Several changes to employment law will come into force in April 2026 under the Employment Rights Act 2025. Below is a summary of the key developments employers should be aware of.
From 6 April 2026
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) – SSP will become a day-one right, removing the previous three-day waiting period and the lower weekly earnings threshold (previously £123). This means that all employees, regardless of pay or hours, will qualify for SSP from the first day of sickness absence.
- Family friendly rights – Paternity and ordinary parental leave will also become day-one rights, meaning employees will no longer need 26 weeks’ service for paternity leave nor 12 months’ service for ordinary parental leave. Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave (BPPL) will also be introduced. This will allow bereaved fathers or partners up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave where the child’s mother or primary adopter dies within the first year after birth or placement.
- Collective redundancy – The protective award for failure to consult in collective redundancy processes will double from 90 to 180 days’ pay. The protective award is a financial penalty that an Employment Tribunal can order where an employer fails to meet its legal duty to collectively consult before making 20 or more redundancies within 90 days. The Tribunal can order the employer to pay up to a maximum number of weeks’ pay for each affected employee, which from 6 April, will be 180 days.
- Whistleblowing – Disclosures relating to sexual harassment will now qualify for whistleblowing protection (i.e. protection from dismissal, detriment or retaliation for having made a protected disclosure).
From 7 April 2026
- Fair Work Agency – A new enforcement body, the Fair Work Agency, will be launched. This body will oversee compliance across employment rights and act as the central regulator.
A wider package of reforms will continue to roll out across 2026 and 2027. Make sure to look out for further updates in future Soundbites to help you prepare and keep your organisation compliant.
If you need advice on how these changes will impact your business, please get in touch with a member of the team.
You can also join us at our forthcoming webinar on 29th April where we will be detailing the changes which have been introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025 and those which are anticipated. If you would like to attend our webinar, you can reserve a place by emailing kate@bradshawtrees.co.uk