Coming soon

Upcoming webinar: Employment Rights Act 2025 - a user's guide

Click here to sign up for this free webinar

In this webinar, employment law specialist Darren Newman sets out a roadmap to guide you safely through the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025's many different strands. Among the topics under discussion will be:

• Statutory sick pay
• New rights for trade unions
• Fire and rehire
• Unfair dismissal and getting probationary periods right
• Third-party harassment liability

Darren will be devoting a substantial portion of the 60-minute session to answering your questions.

Podcast: Employment Rights Act 2025 - why HR should review probationary process before July 2026

In a dramatic late twist, the Government abandoned plans for the introduction of a "day one" unfair dismissal right, instead legislating in the Employment Rights Act 2025 for:

• a reduction in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from two years to six months; and
• the lifting of the compensation cap in unfair dismissal claims.

Brightmine HR & Compliance Centre editors Stephen Simpson and Robert Shore bring you up to speed on what these developments means for employers and explain why HR professionals should still review their organisation's probationary periods by 1 July 2026.

Commentary and insights: Employment Rights Act 2025 essentials - industrial action reforms

As part of our ongoing series exploring the detail of the Employment Rights Act 2025, we look at the changes to industrial action laws and the potential impact on employers.

Commentary and insights: Employment Rights Act 2025 essentials - trade union reforms

As part of our ongoing series exploring the detail of the Employment Rights Act 2025, we look at the changes to trade union-related laws and the potential impact on employers.

Commentary and insights: Rethinking "normal": Six practical steps to support a neuro-inclusive workplace

As demand for neurodiversity support grows, employers need approaches that go beyond awareness weeks. These six building blocks show how to weave neuro-inclusive practice into daily management so that neurodivergent employees can thrive.

Leading practice guides: Organisation design

A series of Leading practice guides authored by Lilian Duckart, a trustee for the European Organisation Design Forum, exploring how HR professionals can approach organisation design to drive positive business outcomes.

Survey analysis and Benchmarking - HR metrics: Retention and labour turnover

The latest Brightmine research will explore how organisations measure labour turnover, the main drivers behind employees choosing to leave and the strategies used to encourage the remainder to stay. Take part in the survey here.

Employment law guide: Fair Work Agency

A new employment law guide on the Fair Work Agency (FWA), which is the single, consolidated body to monitor and enforce core employment rights being set up via the Employment Rights Act 2025. The FWA is expected to be established in April 2026.

Survey analysis and Benchmarking - HR metrics: Pay forecasts 2026

This Brightmine research will shed a light on what organisations are planning for their 2026 pay reviews. It also includes a focus on managing budgets in light of the national insurance contributions; and how organisations are promoting gender equality in reward. The survey is open for completion now (closes 6 February 2026).

The Employment Rights Act 2025 makes statutory sick pay (SSP) available to all workers. In addition, the Employment Rights Act 2025 removes:

• the requirement to earn at least the lower earnings limit; and
• the three-day waiting period for workers to be entitled to SSP.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 sets the percentage rate for those earning below the current rate of SSP at 80% of normal weekly earnings.

Among the resources that will be updated are:

• Model short-term sickness absence policy
• Model long-term sickness absence policy
• Model sickness and sick pay contract clause
• Suite of model sickness and sick pay letters and forms
• Employment law guide: Statutory sick pay

In the first quarter of 2026 and in early April 2026.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 removes the qualifying periods for paternity leave and ordinary parental leave, making them day-one rights.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 also removes the restriction that prevents parents from taking paternity leave if they have already taken shared parental leave.

Among the resources that will be updated are:

• Model paternity leave policy
• Model ordinary parental leave policy
• Model shared parental leave policy (birth)
• Model shared parental leave policy (adoption)
• Ordinary parental leave - line manager training
• Paternity leave - line manager training
• Suite of model paternity leave letters and forms
• Suite of model ordinary parental leave letters and forms
• Employment law guide: Paternity leave
• Employment law guide: Ordinary parental leave

In the first quarter of 2026 and in early April 2026.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 adds sexual harassment to the list of types of disclosure that qualify for protection under the whistleblowing provisions of the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Among the resources that will be updated are:

• Model whistleblowing policy
• Whistleblowing - line manager training
• Model form to raise whistleblowing concern
• Suite of model whistleblowing letters
• Employment law guide: whistleblowing
• Leading practice guide on supporting whistleblowers: What is whistleblowing?
• Leading practice guide on building a working environment free from harassment and sexual harassment: Reporting procedures

Expected publication

In the first quarter of 2026 and in early April 2026.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms industrial relations law, including:

• simplification of the union recognition process;
• strengthened protections against unfair practices during the entire statutory recognition process;
• a period of 20 working days to agree union access during a statutory recognition process; and

the removal of the 50% turnout threshold of union members for an industrial action ballot to be valid.

Among the resources that will be updated are:

• Model trade union recognition procedure
• Model trade union derecognition procedure
• Model trade union recognition agreement
• Employment law guide: Trade union recognition

Expected publication

In the first quarter of 2026 and in early April 2026.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 doubles the maximum period of the protective award, which is payable where an employer fails to comply with its redundancy consultation requirements, from 90 to 180 days.

Among the resources that will be updated are:

• Employment law guide: Collective redundancy consultation - duty to consult
• Quick reference: Compensation - collective rights

Expected publication

In the first quarter of 2026 and in early April 2026.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the legal definition of a woman under the Equality Act 2010 is based on biological sex. While Judge Lord Hodge stated "we counsel against reading this judgment as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another", employers may have to rethink their policy towards single-sex spaces in the workplace, such as bathrooms and changing rooms.

The following resources have had interim updates in light of the judgment:

• Transgender and non-binary equality policy

• Supporting an employee who is transitioning action plan
• Leading practice guides on Supporting non-binary and transgender employees

We have provided the following additional commentary and guidance:

• The definition of a woman: The legal meaning and practical implications of the Supreme Court ruling
• Supreme Court ruling and EHRC latest: How should HR respond?

2026