The biggest shake-up in UK employment law in a generation is already live.

Policies affected: Sickness absence policy, payroll procedures

Remove any reference to three waiting days or the lower earnings limit. SSP is payable from the first day of sickness, to all employees regardless of earnings, at £123.25 a week or 80% of normal weekly earnings if lower.

Policies affected: Paternity leave, parental leave and onboarding documents

Remove the old 26-week and one-year qualifying service requirements. New starters can give notice of leave from their first day, and paternity leave can now be taken after shared parental leave.

Policies affected: Family leave and compassionate leave policies

Add provision for bereaved fathers and partners to take up to 52 weeks of leave if the mother or primary adopter dies within the first year of the child’s life.

Policies affected: Whistleblowing policy, anti-harassment policy

Make sure your whistleblowing policy treats disclosures about sexual harassment as protected disclosures, with the reporting route to match.

Policies affected: Redundancy policy and consultation procedures

The maximum protective award for consultation failures doubled from 90 to 180 days’ pay per employee. The policy wording may not change, but the cost of skipping proper consultation has.

Policies affected: Anti-harassment policy, risk assessments, training records

The duty rises from “reasonable steps” to “all reasonable steps”. You will need a documented harassment risk assessment, current training and evidence of both, not just a policy on file.

Policies affected: Anti-harassment policy, front-of-house procedures

Employers become liable for harassment of staff by customers, clients and other third parties unless all reasonable steps were taken to prevent it. Public-facing businesses are most exposed.

Policies affected: Record keeping, grievance and dismissal documentation

Claimants get six months rather than three to bring most claims. Contemporaneous notes and retained records matter for twice as long.

Policies affected: Written statement of particulars, employee relations policies

Employers must inform workers of their right to join a trade union, and union access and representative protections are strengthened.

Policies affected: Probation, disciplinary, capability and dismissal procedures

Anyone with six months’ service on 1 January 2027 is protected immediately, including existing staff. Probation reviews and documentation need to conclude well inside six months.

Policies affected: Dismissal procedures, settlement practice

The compensatory award cap (£123,543 after the final April 2026 uprating) is abolished. Awards reflect actual loss with no ceiling, so process failures on higher earners become far more expensive.

Policies affected: Contract variation and restructuring procedures

Dismissing and re-engaging staff to force through changes to key contract terms becomes automatically unfair except in narrow financial-distress circumstances. Consultation becomes the only safe route.

Policies affected: Zero-hours and casual worker arrangements, scheduling

Qualifying workers will gain rights to guaranteed hours reflecting actual hours worked, plus notice of shifts. If you rely on zero-hours contracts, start reviewing rotas and contract terms now.

Policies affected: Anti-harassment policy and risk assessment

The government will specify what counts as reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, turning today’s judgement call into a checklist you can be measured against.

Policies affected: Compassionate and bereavement leave policies

A general right to bereavement leave, including for pregnancy loss, is enacted with details to follow in regulations. Build the policy heading now and fill in the entitlement when the rules land.