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Inside the Employment Rights Act: Getting ready for change 

Published: 18 Mar 2026

The Employment Rights Act is bringing in some big changes designed to give more flexibility, greater protections and workplace rights. In this series, we look at the legislation and what it might mean for your family, starting with the changes coming into effect on 6 April 2026.

Bereaved Partners Leave 

Fathers or partners will be permitted to take up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave if the child’s mother or primary carer dies within the first year of birth or adoption. This will apply to bereavements which occur on or after 6th April 2026.

Paternity Leave 

Paternity leave becomes a day one right from 6th April 2026. However, the service requirement for statutory paternity pay remains unchanged (26 weeks service at the 15th week before EWC (or matching week for adoption) and have earnings above the lower earnings threshold in the 8week period prior to 15th week before EWC.

Paternity leave can be taken after a period of shared parental leave. 

Unpaid Parental Leave 

From 6th April, parents will be entitled to take unpaid parental leave from day one in employment. 

Gender Equality Action Plans 

Large organisations of over 250 employees will be asked to voluntarily provide an action plan alongside their gender pay gap report to identify how they intend to reduce the gap. These will become compulsory in 2027. You can find out more about the action plans here.

Establishment of the Fair Work Agency  

The Fair Work Agency will bring together current enforcement bodies to be responsible for matters such as statutory sick pay, national minimum wage, holiday pay, agency workers’ rights and modern slavery.

Statutory Sick Pay  

Statutory sick pay (SSP) will be paid from the first day of illness, instead of the fourth day. The lower earnings limit (currently £125 per week) will be removed before employees are entitled to SSP meaning that workers will be entitled to SSP regardless of income levels.  

How employers can prepare for change 

Review policies  

Every employer will need to assess what policies they already have in place, how they can be strengthened and where any gaps might be. This is an opportunity to think beyond the legislation to make policies as inclusive, practical and effective as possible.  

Did you know?

Working Families offer policy reviews which are designed to help organisations create policies that reach best practice levels and work for everyone. In the last year, we’ve helped our member organisations get their policies in the best shape to support employees and managers, and get ahead of the curve of all the upcoming changes.

Skill up line managers 

Give managers training and tools to understand the new legislation and how to apply it, to ensure a consistent approach across the organisation. Resources such as checklists can empower line managers to have meaningful conversations and support employees at times of transition.

Listen and learn 

Employers who seek out feedback from their workforce to understand their unique challenges stand the best chance of developing policies and practices that work in practice. Pulse surveys, focus groups, and 121’s are all opportunities to gain valuable insights.

Build on other’s experience 

Use case studies to see what has worked elsewhere and how challenges have been overcome. As well as seeing what is possible, case studies can provide ideas to adapt.

Promote the good work already in place 

For employers who have already taken steps to improve their policies and practices, there may be no changes to be made. But it’s still a chance to remind employees what’s available and talk about why the organisation has prioritised supporting their people, to highlight being way ahead of legislation.

Embrace change 

Use the opportunity to share why the organisation is proud to be updating their policies to support employees. Get the message across that the organisation is committed to supporting families by sharing employee stories,& reminding everyone in regular staff comms, and celebrating national awareness days to encourage take-up of new policies.

Suggested wording: 

We’re proud to announce that we’ll be updating our parental leave policies, offering unpaid parental and paternity leave to employees from their first day in the job, and bereaved fathers and partners can take up to a year with their newborn baby. We understand how important it is to look after our people. Not only will these changes be in line with new legislation, it’s the right thing to do to support parents and carers in our organisation and is one step forward in our journey to being the most family-friendly organisation we can be.