Overview

UK employment law is going through its biggest overhaul in a generation. This course gives managers a clear, practical guide to the Employment Rights Act 2025, what changed on 6 April 2026, what the new Fair Work Agency does, and what's still coming, without the legal jargon. General awareness training, not legal advice, current as at August 2026.

Target Audience

All staff and managers in organisations affected by this law. No legal or technical background required.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, learners will gain a full and clear understanding of:

• The correct name and citation of the Employment Rights Act 2025, and how it differs from the older Employment Rights Act 1996
• The corrected position on unfair dismissal: no day-one right, but a shorter six-month qualifying period for dismissals from 1 January 2027
• The full range of changes already in force from 6 April 2026, including whistleblowing, redundancy, family leave, sick pay and trade union recognition
• What the Fair Work Agency is, what it absorbed, and what its powers mean for day-to-day compliance
• The correct date for the new sexual harassment prevention duties, and the common date error to avoid
• How to build a simple three-part checklist: "act now", "prepare for", "watch for", for the reforms still to come

Course Contents

Unit 1: What's Already Law

The Employment Rights Act 2025, its citation and Royal Assent date, and the deliberate distinction from the Employment Rights Act 1996. The corrected position on unfair dismissal (no day-one right; a six-month qualifying period and no compensatory cap, both from 1 January 2027). The full raft of changes in force from 6 April 2026: whistleblowing extended to sexual harassment disclosures, the collective redundancy protective award doubling to 180 days, day-one paternity and unpaid parental leave, SSP changes, and simplified trade union recognition.

Unit 2: The Fair Work Agency

The single new labour market enforcement body, operating from 7 April 2026. What it absorbed (the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, and HMRC's National Minimum Wage enforcement unit), its enforcement policy statement, its powers, and what a single, more powerful regulator means for managers.

Unit 3: The Sexual Harassment Duties and the Date Trap

The strengthened "all reasonable steps" prevention duty and the new third-party harassment liability, both commencing 30 October 2026. The widely repeated wrong date of 1 October 2026 is explicitly corrected, alongside an explanation of what 1 October 2026 actually changes (the employment tribunal time limit). Practical preparation steps for managers.

Unit 4: What's Coming in 2027, and a Manager's Action Plan

The reforms still forthcoming and not yet law: NDA restrictions, guaranteed hours, flexible working changes, bereavement leave, umbrella company regulation, and the six-month unfair dismissal qualifying period. A practical "act now, prepare for, watch for" checklist to bring the whole course together.

**General awareness, not legal advice. This course explains what the law says and what good practice looks like. It is not a substitute for legal advice on an organisation's specific obligations. Legal position current as at August 2026.**