Preparing for the Employment Rights Act 2025

At our June 2026 HR Hub, we were joined by Kate Benefer and the Employment & Immigration team at RWK Goodman for a practical update on the Employment Rights Act 2025, upcoming legislative changes, new statutory rates and limits, and recent Employment Tribunal decisions.

With some of the most significant employment law reforms in a generation now underway, the session explored what employers need to know, what changes are coming next, and how organisations can start preparing.

As always, we asked attendees to share their views through a series of live polls. Here are the results:

Are Employers Reviewing Their Probationary Periods?

We asked: Has your organisation changed its probationary periods in response to the Employment Rights Act?

• 22% said Yes
• 27% said Not yet, but we plan to
• 51% said No

Whilst over half of organisations have not yet made any changes, nearly half are either reviewing their approach or have already taken action. As the proposed reduction in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal moves closer, many employers appear to be considering whether their current probation and performance management processes remain fit for purpose.

Family-Friendly Policies Are Already Changing

We asked: Has your organisation amended its family-friendly policies as a result of the Employment Rights Act?

• 60% said Yes
• 14% said Not yet, but we plan to
• 26% said No

This was one of the clearest findings from the session. Many organisations have already started reviewing policies to reflect changes to family-related rights and entitlements.

It suggests that employers are taking a proactive approach where legislation has already begun to impact workplace policies and employee experience.

How Concerned Are Employers About Trade Union Reforms?

We asked: Are you concerned about the new trade union rights and access provisions?

• 22% said Yes
• 50% said No
• 27% said Unsure

Whilst half of the respondents are not currently concerned, more than a quarter remain unsure about what the reforms could mean in practice.

This uncertainty reflects a wider theme from the session: many organisations are still assessing the practical implications of the Employment Rights Act and waiting for further guidance before making significant changes.

Is Equality Training Keeping Pace?

We asked: When did your organisation last provide discrimination training to employees?

• 35% said Within the last six months
• 30% said Within the last 12 months
• 24% said More than 12 months ago
• 10% said Never

The results were encouraging, with 65% of organisations having delivered discrimination training within the last year.

As employers prepare for enhanced duties around preventing workplace harassment and managing third-party harassment risks, regular training is likely to become even more important. The findings suggest that many organisations are already investing in awareness and education, although there is still room for some employers to review their approach.

Preparing for What's Next

A key message from the session was that whilst some changes have already taken effect, many of the most significant reforms are still to come.

Kate highlighted a number of areas employers should be considering now, including:

• Reviewing probationary and dismissal procedures
• Updating family-friendly policies and employee handbooks
• Reviewing anti-harassment policies and training
• Preparing for changes relating to trade unions
• Monitoring developments around flexible working and redundancy consultation requirements

The overall message was clear: preparation now will make implementation much easier when future reforms come into force.

Final Thoughts

Our June HR Hub highlighted that many employers are already taking practical steps to prepare for the Employment Rights Act 2025, particularly when it comes to family-friendly policies and workplace training.

At the same time, the results suggest there is still uncertainty around some of the wider reforms, with many organisations continuing to assess the potential impact on their people policies and processes.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the discussion.