Are you ready for the 2026 employment law changes?

Published: April 8 2026

Significant updates to UK employment law are coming into force in 2026 and 2027, bringing major reforms to family friendly rights, employee protections and workplace practices. These changes—including SSP, day one rights for family leave, unfair dismissal rights, trade union rights alongside other wider reforms—mean that organisations will need to review their internal processes, documentation, and people practices to stay compliant.

What employers should be doing now

To prepare effectively, we strongly recommend reviewing and updating the following areas:

✔ Contracts of employment

Ensure clauses relating to leave, eligibility and employee rights reflect the new day one entitlements coming into force. Contracts are becoming increasingly difficult to change to best to get them right and updated.

✔ Employee handbooks & policies

Family friendly policies, sickness absence procedures, whistleblowing and trade union to name a few that will need to be reviewed and updated.

✔ Onboarding processes

New starters will now have access to a wider range of rights much earlier. Onboarding materials and training should provide clarity on these entitlements from day one.

✔ Probationary period structures

With employees gaining rights to unfair dismissal at 6 months service coming into effect in January 2027, organisations will need to think about amending and updating  probationary timelines and structures by July 2026, as all current employees will receive the right retrospectively when it comes into effect. With the unfair dismissal cap to be removed you will need to ensure that you are using your probationary periods effectively.

✔ Additional or updated policies

Policies relating to leave, absence management, menopause and employee relations should be reviewed to ensure consistency with the new statutory requirements.

How we can help

Navigating these changes doesn’t need to be overwhelming. As specialists in HR we can help you:

• Review or rewrite contracts, handbooks and policies
• Provide additional policies / wording
• Strengthen onboarding and manager guidance
• Ensure compliance ahead of legislative deadlines
• Provide hands on support with implementation
• Equip your managers to confidently handle new entitlements and conversations

Book a preparation call with us now

With 2026 fast approaching, now is the ideal time to get ahead.

If you’d like to discuss how these changes affect your organisation—and how we can support you in preparing—please get in touch to book a chat with our team.

We’re here to help you stay compliant, confident, and ready.