The employment law landscape is set to radically change over the next 12 months, as key provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA) come into force. These changes will impact how employers manage people, risk and cost and will require careful prior planning.
Our ERA bitesize webinar series gives you clear, practical guidance on what is changing and the steps you can take now to prepare. Each webinar lasts just 15 minutes and is led by a partner or managing associate from our employment team.
By registering, you’ll be signed up to all six sessions. You can join as many or as few as you like.
Sessions:
Unfair dismissal - key changes
16 April 2026, 9:30am - 9:45am
From 1 January 2027, the length of service requirement for unfair dismissal will reduce from two years’ service to six months’ service. This change will apply to anyone whose effective date of termination is on or after 1 January 2027. New employees starting from mid-June 2026 onwards will therefore gain these rights. Also on 1 January 2027, the cap on compensation for unfair dismissal will be removed.
Employers will want to take proactive steps to minimise the increased risk of claims and larger awards.
Hannah Ford, Head of Employment, Pensions and Immigration, and Frances Rollin, Senior Knowledge Lawyer, will explain what is changing and the practical steps employers can take now – from strategic planning to contractual and policy changes.
Reform of fire and rehire
14 May 2026, 9:30am - 9:45am
From January 2027, it will be automatically unfair to dismiss an employee where they have refused to agree to certain changes to their terms of employment or to re-engage them on varied terms or replace them with another person on the varied terms. One of the drivers behind these changes was the P&O mass replacement of staff with agency workers four years ago. The reforms goes much further than this and will make it much harder and costlier to change terms and conditions of employment.
Actions can be taken ahead of this change to mitigate the risks.
Kerry Garcia, Partner in our employment and immigration team, and Abigail McKean, Senior Knowledge Lawyer, will outline what is changing and the proactive steps employers can take to manage risk.
Changes to the duty to prevent sexual harassment
11 June 2026, 9:30am - 9:45am
From 1 October 2026, employers will be required to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment within their workforce. Employers will also be required to prevent unlawful harassment of their employees by third parties. Further regulations on what constitutes “all reasonable steps” are not expected until 2027/2028.
This session will focus on what the enhanced obligation means for employers in real terms.
Michelle Hobbs, Managing Associate in our employment team, and Frances Rollin, Senior Knowledge Lawyer, will talk through the critical compliance steps. We will also touch on the amendment to the whistleblowing regime on 6 April 2026 to explicitly include sexual harassment as a protected disclosure.
Family friendly changes
17 September 2026, 9:30am - 9:45am
The ERA makes various changes to family friendly rights, including:
Parental and paternity leave (becoming “day one” rights)
Introduction of paternity leave for bereaved fathers/partners
Strengthening of the rules on refusing flexible working requests
Extension of the right to parental bereavement leave to include the loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks and to cover the loss of members of a wider group
Lloyd Davey, Partner in our employment team, and Abigail McKean, Senior Knowledge Lawyer, will explain what is changing and the practical steps employers should take.
Trade union reform
8 October 2026, 9:30am - 9:45am
There are a number of changes being made to trade union law which, taken together, make it more likely that trade unions will become more of a factor, even for employers who do not currently recognise a trade union. One of the most significant changes is that from October 2026 any qualifying trade union (whether or not recognised by the employer) will have the right to request access to a workplace (either virtually or in person) to meet with, represent, recruit, support or organise workers or to facilitate collective bargaining (but not to organise industrial action).
Andy Williams, Partner in our employment team, and Frances Rollin, Senior Knowledge Lawyer, will provide a whistlestop tour of the changes and practical steps to help employers manage risk and avoid disputes.
Zero hour workers
12 November 2026, 9:30am - 9:45am
During 2027, new rights will be introduced for agency workers, employees on zero-hour contracts and employees on “low” hours contracts including the right to be offered guaranteed minimum working hours (under some conditions). Such workers will also have the right to reasonable notice of shifts, shift cancellations and changes to shifts, and to be paid if shifts are changed or cancelled at short notice. These new rules are very complicated and have wide implications for all employers.
Rebecca Berry, Managing Associate in our employment team, and Abigail McKean, Senior Knowledge Lawyer, will explain the current position and what employers should be doing now to prepare.
Download our ERA 2025 guide for key action points
Get practical guidance on the Employment Rights Act 2025, including key changes, timelines and what your business should be doing now to prepare and manage risk.
