Statutory sick pay changes valued most by staff and employers

Changes to statutory sick pay will have the biggest impact on both workers and their employers, according to polling by Acas.

The conciliation service found that - of the new measures introduced as part of the Employment Rights Act 2025 - the day-one right to statutory sick pay was the one considered to be most important.

From 6 April, SSP will become payable from the first day of an employee's sickness absence, rather than the fourth.

Forty-three per cent of employers said that workers getting sick pay from the first day of illness would have the biggest impact, compared to 36% of workers.

New rights on sick pay were followed by greater protection against unfair dismissals, which ranked highly for 31% of employers and 30% of employees.

Ranked third were new paternity leave rights (for 28% employers) and changes to flexible working (for 28% of employees).

The new rules on paternity leave come into force from 6 April, meaning employees will be eligible from their first day of employment rather than the current requirement of 26 weeks' service.

From 1 January 2027, employees will be protected from unfair dismissal if they have worked for their employer for at least six months. Currently, an employee must have two years' continuous service to be able to claim unfair dismissal.

Changes to how organisations deal with flexible working requests are timetabled for 2027, and are currently under consultation.

Under the new legislation, the government will set out a new consultation process that employers must follow, including a new "reasonableness test" for accepting or rejecting a request.

The threat of stronger financial penalties for failing to consult employees during large-scale redundancies was considered the least important for both workers and employers (9% and 5% respectively).

Niall Mackenzie, Acas chief executive, said the polling showed how important sick pay and unfair dismissal protections are for both workers and their employers.

"Acas will play a crucial role working with employers, workers and their representatives on the implementation of the Employment Rights Act and updating its advice and training," he added.

"These reforms represent the biggest shake-up to employment law in a generation. Acas remain best placed as independent experts helping everyone at work throughout this period of change."