Employment Law Changes 2026-2027 — From Legal Update to Confident Management Decisions
The Employment Rights Act 2025 brings substantial changes to employment rights, workplace responsibilities and enforcement across 2026 and 2027. Managers are often the people whose conversations, decisions and records determine whether an issue is resolved early or develops into a complaint, grievance, dismissal dispute or employment tribunal claim.
This full-day programme combines a clear legal update with practical management application. It explores the employment lifecycle, from recruitment and probation through performance, attendance, conduct, grievances, reasonable adjustments, protected disclosures and dismissal. Delegates practise recognising risk, responding appropriately, documenting decisions and knowing when to involve Human Resources or specialist advice.
This is not simply a longer legal presentation. It is a highly practical management-development day built around decisions, conversations, evidence, realistic case studies and a final employment law risk audit.
Want to discuss whether this programme fits your organisation? Email training@elevateimpacttraining.com
The Employment Rights Act 2025 — What's Changing and When
Reforms are being introduced in stages throughout 2026 and 2027
This full-day programme gives managers the depth to apply these changes with confidence, not just recite them. The Employment Rights Act 2025 became law on 18 December 2025 and introduces significant additions and amendments to existing employment legislation. This programme distinguishes between changes already in force, confirmed future commencement dates and provisions whose detailed operation remains subject to regulations, consultation, Codes of Practice or updated guidance.
Already in force during 2026: day-one paternity and ordinary parental leave; statutory sick pay from the first day of illness; six-year holiday and holiday-pay record keeping; enhanced collective redundancy protective awards; sexual-harassment disclosures as qualifying whistleblowing disclosures; and several trade-union reforms.
1 October 2026: the time limit for most employment tribunal claims increases from three months to six months.
30 October 2026: employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment; third-party harassment liability is restored; and important trade-union information, access and representative rights change.
1 January 2027: the ordinary unfair-dismissal qualifying period reduces from two years to six months; the compensation limit for ordinary unfair dismissal is removed; and stronger dismissal-and-rehire protections take effect.
This programme combines the law and official guidance available at the time of delivery with practical management skills, decision-making and documentation.
From Legal Change to Everyday Management Decisions
Managers are responsible for applying workplace policies fairly and consistently in real situations. The six-month tribunal claim period increases the length of time during which decisions, records and behaviour may be scrutinised, and the six-month unfair-dismissal qualifying period brings greater urgency to effective probation and early performance management.
Harassment law places a stronger focus on proactive prevention, including risk created by customers, clients and contractors. Discrimination, whistleblowing and automatically unfair-dismissal risks can arise without the ordinary unfair-dismissal qualifying period — and poor records, delayed conversations and unexplained inconsistency can weaken an organisation's position even when the underlying decision was reasonable.
The aim is not to turn managers into employment lawyers. It is to help them recognise, respond, record, refer and review appropriately, while understanding when Human Resources or specialist legal advice may be needed.
Half-Day Workshop vs Full-Day Programme
Both options provide practical learning, but they serve different needs. The full-day programme is not simply a longer version of the half-day workshop — it provides substantially more depth, case study practice and organisational risk review.
| Half-Day Workshop | Full-Day Programme | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Essential overview and immediate manager action | Deeper judgement, skills practice and organisational risk review |
| Legal-change timeline | Included | Included in greater depth |
| Harassment & third parties | Practical overview | Detailed prevention and risk mapping |
| Probation & dismissal | Core implications | Extended casework and decision practice |
| Discrimination & adjustments | Risk signposting | Integrated practical application |
| Documentation | Essential records | Tribunal-ready evidence and decision rationale |
| Activities | Short scenarios | Complex case studies and skills practice |
| Action planning | Personal 30-day actions | Manager and organisational risk audit |
Not sure which format is right? Speak to our training specialist on 07544 534759.
What Delegates and Organisations Gain From This Programme
A reliable understanding of the key United Kingdom employment law changes for 2026–27
More confident and timely management of probation, performance, conduct and attendance
Stronger judgement about discrimination, reasonable adjustments, whistleblowing and protected activity
Practical skill in receiving concerns and escalating them appropriately
Better factual records and clearer decision rationales
Improved awareness of workplace harassment and third-party risk
Stronger alignment between policies and day-to-day management practice
An organisation-focused employment law risk audit and 30-day action plan
By the End of the Programme, Delegates Will Be Able To
- Explain the key Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms affecting managers during 2026 and 2027
- Distinguish current legal duties, confirmed forthcoming changes and provisions awaiting operational detail
- Recognise employment law risk throughout the employment lifecycle
- Apply fair, timely and proportionate approaches to probation, performance, attendance and conduct
- Identify potential discrimination, reasonable-adjustment, whistleblowing, harassment, trade-union and automatically unfair-dismissal issues
- Receive an employee concern calmly, clarify appropriate information and explain realistic next steps
- Create factual records and defensible decision rationales without speculation or judgemental language
- Decide when an issue can be managed, when Human Resources support is needed and when immediate escalation is essential
- Apply the Recognise → Respond → Record → Refer → Review framework to complex management situations
- Complete a manager employment law risk audit and identify priority actions for the next 30 days
Full-Day Programme Outline
The programme uses realistic workplace scenarios, discussion and practical case studies throughout — the goal is sound management judgement, not a legal lecture.
Delegates build a clear view of the staged reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 and the implementation roadmap, then trace employment law risk across the full employee journey — from recruitment, probation and performance through to conduct, attendance, grievances and exit. The session includes detailed coverage of sexual harassment and third-party harassment, the strengthened duty to take all reasonable steps, and a risk-mapping activity covering people, places, situations, relationships, processes and culture. The morning closes by exploring why the extended six-month tribunal time limit makes contemporaneous, factual records essential.
Delegates work through the practical implications of the six-month unfair-dismissal qualifying period from 1 January 2027, including purposeful probation plans, early management action and dismissal-and-rehire changes. The session then covers discrimination, protected characteristics and reasonable adjustments — including menopause-related needs and disability-related absence — before moving into a skills-practice exercise on receiving concerns, grievances and whistleblowing disclosures calmly and appropriately.
The final session covers the 2026 trade-union reforms and protected workplace activity, before delegates practise turning unclear or judgemental notes into factual, tribunal-ready documentation. The day closes with an integrated case study bringing together probation, absence, disability, harassment, grievance and trade-union themes, followed by the Manager's Employment Law Risk Audit and a personal 30-day action plan, using the Elevate Impact framework: Recognise → Respond → Record → Refer → Review.
Suitable for Anyone With People Management Responsibility
This practical employment law training course is designed for anyone with responsibility for people, workplace decisions or day-to-day employee management.
Want this tailored to your sector or organisational context? Email training@elevateimpacttraining.com
Flexible Delivery — Wherever You Are
Every programme is designed around your organisation — your employment lifecycle, policies, reporting routes, union environment, customer contact, workforce profile and areas of particular risk. Delivered in-house or virtually, available across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Europe.
Face-to-Face
Delivered at the client's workplace, with examples adapted to the organisation, sector, policies and workforce
Virtual
Delivered through Microsoft Teams or Zoom using structured discussion, polls, breakout activities and case studies
Bespoke
Tailored around your employment lifecycle, policies, union environment, customer contact and areas of particular risk
Legal Content Reviewed September 2026
Employment law and supporting guidance are continuing to develop throughout 2026 and 2027. The confirmed headline changes and commencement dates stated in this programme are based on official information available at the date shown below. Some detailed regulations, Codes of Practice and supporting guidance are still being developed, consulted upon or updated.
Elevate Impact Training reviews relevant Government, Acas and Equality and Human Rights Commission information on a monthly basis and updates the legal content of this programme where appropriate. The programme reflects the law and official guidance available at the time of delivery. Where a future requirement has been announced but its detailed operation has not been finalised, this is clearly identified during the training.
Further reforms are expected during 2027 in areas including flexible working, zero-hours and low-hours contracts, bereavement leave, pregnancy and maternity protection, collective redundancy, non-disclosure agreements, umbrella companies, gender pay gap and menopause action plans, and trade-union law. Some commencement dates and operational details are not yet finalised.
Important: This programme provides practical workplace training and management development. It does not constitute legal advice, and attendance should not be treated as confirmation that an organisation is legally compliant. Organisations should obtain appropriate Human Resources or specialist legal advice about individual cases and specific legal matters.
Legal content last reviewed: September 2026