• Swindon & Wiltshire Experts
• Wednesday October 15 2025
• Author Name: Peter Jones

Businesses need to get ready for Employment Rights Bill – The HR Dept

Businesses need to get ready for the Employment Rights Bill, says Peter Jones of the HR Dept.

The Employment Rights Bill – which is bringing sweeping changes to how staff are employed, across the UK – is reaching its final stages in Parliament, and businesses need to get ready now.

Soon to become law, with Royal Ascent expected imminently, the Bill represents a tsunami of new legislation for employers to get to grips with.

There is a level of concern out there, because businesses don’t yet understand enough about how they will be affected.

The ramifications are far-reaching and headline grabbing.

Changes to unfair dismissal will make claims possible from day one, removing the two-year minimum employment term before employees can make a claim.

The claim limit is also going from three to six months, which means companies will have longer to wait to discover if a sacked employee is making a claim.

Flexible working is expected to become the default position, and employers may only refuse applications on specific ‘reasonable grounds’.

Statutory sick pay will be available from the first day of absence, rather than the fourth, with clear implications for companies’ staffing levels.

These, and the other measures outlined in the Bill, are set to become law at different stages, with the first likely to be rolled out in just six months’ time – April 2026.

The best way to minimise the impact of the changes is to get ahead of them, by putting new policies and procedures in place, whilst planning training to educate management teams, making it easier for them to navigate the change.

Peter Jones is managing director of the HR Dept Swindon, North Wiltshire and East Cotswolds