Employment Rights Act 2025 - Summer '26 Update
These reforms represent the most seismic shift in UK employment law in decades, fundamentally changing dismissal rights, day-one entitlements, and enforcement powers.
Description
The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces sweeping reforms to UK employment law, with phased implementation starting April 2026 and continuing into January 2027. Key changes include shorter qualifying periods for unfair dismissal, uncapped compensation, expanded day-one rights, and protections for vulnerable workers. At the same time, the Fair Work Agency launches in April 2026, bringing new inspection and enforcement powers.
This interactive training course is timed to give HR professionals the clarity and tools they need before the first major deadline in April 2026. Drawing on over 30 years of experience guiding organisations through seismic changes, including Brexit, COVID-19, and major legislative overhauls, BFI delivers practical strategies to help you update policies, train managers, and reduce risk.
Agenda
09:30-09:40 Welcome & Overview
- Understand the scope of ERA 2025 and FWA to avoid compliance gaps
- Identify your organisation's highest-risk areas
- Clarify expected outcomes and how they align to HR strategy
- Set success criteria for the session
- Know what to expect from interactive segments
09:40-10:30 Unfair Dismissal & Dismissal Management
- Qualifying period reduces from 2 years to 6 months from January 2027
- Compensatory award cap removed entirely, aligning with discrimination awards
- Probation management must be tightened — diarise reviews and set clear milestones
- Fire-and-rehire creates new category of automatically unfair dismissal
- Review templates, approvals processes and senior exit strategies now
10:30-10:40 Comfort Break
10:40-11:30 Zero Hours, Day One Rights and Contracts
- Guaranteed hours obligations triggered after each reference period
- Reasonable notice of shifts required; compensation due for cancellations
- SSP payable from day one of absence from 6 April 2026
- Paternity and ordinary parental leave become day one rights
- Review and update contracts, flexibility clauses and staff communications urgently
11:30-12:00 Trade unions & Industrial Relations
- Recognition thresholds lowered, fewer members and supporters needed
- Electronic and workplace balloting arrives August 2026
- Workers must be informed of their right to join a union from October 2026
- Industrial action will be easier to ballot for and more disruptive when called
- Audit your employee voice architecture and assess your unionisation risk now
12:00-12:10 Comfort Break
12:10-12:40 AI In the Workplace: Threats, Practice & the Regulatory Landscape
- Latest developments in AI regulation and what employers need to know now
- Discrimination and data protection risks from AI tools in recruitment and people management
- TUC and union concerns over AI in the workplace, what organised labour is demanding
- Practical steps to audit your AI tools, governance policies and supplier contracts
- Threats on the horizon: automated decision making, liability gaps and the evolving legal framework
12:40-13:10 Action Planning
- Prioritise your highest-risk changes and assign clear owners and timelines
- Identify quick wins versus longer-term implementation workstreams
- Stress-test your manager capability gap against ERA compliance requirements
- Reviewing your recruitment supply chains and maximising new opportunities for compliant agencies
- Review internal communications strategy for change management
- Leave with an immediate action plan and key next steps
13:10-13:15 Wrap‑Up & Close
Learning Outcomes
What You’ll Learn
- Apply new unfair dismissal rules (6-month qualifying period; uncapped compensation) to reduce litigation risk
- Update contracts to comply with zero-hour guarantees and avoid fire-and-rehire breaches
- Embed statutory sick pay, parental leave, and flexible working rights from day one
- Prepare for Fair Work Agency audits and enforcement powers
- Respond effectively to complex compliance scenarios
- Build a bespoke action plan using provided templates
Topics Covered
- Unfair dismissal reforms: applying the new six-month qualifying period and managing uncapped compensation risk
- Contract changes: avoiding fire-and-rehire breaches and implementing zero-hour guarantees
- Shift cancellation compensation: practical steps to prevent tribunal disputes
- Day-one rights: embedding statutory sick pay, parental leave, bereavement leave, and flexible working into policies
- Strengthening protections for pregnant employees and returners to avoid discrimination claims
- Preparing for Fair Work Agency inspections: auditing holiday pay, minimum wage, and SSP compliance
- Building a tailored compliance action plan aligned with April 2026 and January 2027 deadlines
What our delegates say
“Clear, practical and immediately usable. We left with a revised dismissal framework and a manager briefing pack that’s already reducing risk.”
HR Manager, Retail & Distribution
“The FWA preparation segment was a game-changer. The holiday pay audit checklist helped us spot and fix issues before they became penalties.”
Head of People Operations, National Charity
“Excellent balance of law and practice. The contract rewrite exercise gave us exactly the language we needed to avoid fire-and-rehire pitfalls.”
HR Business Partner, Technology & Services
Who the Course is For
FAQs
What does BFI specialise in?
BFI provides expert-led training in HR compliance, employment law, immigration for employers, union relations, workplace inclusion, and AI and talent solutions.
Who typically attends your courses?
Attendees include HR managers, legal teams, compliance officers, operations leaders, and public sector employers.
Are your trainers practitioners?
Yes. All trainers are experienced specialists; we feature practitioners from the public and private sectors as well as lawyers, policy advisers, former regulators, and consultants.
How do I book a course?
Choose an event on the website and click Register. You can pay online with a credit card or request an invoice.
Do you accept purchase orders?
Yes. Public and private-sector organisations may use PO numbers. These can be added during the registration process, or can be retrospectively added to am invoice if the place has been booked already.
We need to set you up as a Supplier, can you complete a form or send me over your company information?
Yes, we can do either; please contact us via info@bfi.co.uk
Can I get a PO number added to our invoice?
Yes, please send details through to info@bfi.co.uk or reply to us using your confirmation email
Do you offer group discounts?
Yes. Discounts for multiple bookings are automatically applied at checkout. For groups of over ten, it may be more cost-effective to run the course in-house. Call 01983 861133 for details
Can I transfer my place to another date or colleague?
Yes. Substitutions are free, and transfers are typically allowed within a set timeframe.
What is your cancellation policy?
BFI follows standard UK training-industry cancellation terms.
How are online courses delivered?
Training is delivered live via Zoom with interactive Q\&A and case-based discussion.
Will I receive slides and supporting materials?
Yes. Attendees receive slides, templates (where relevant), and many other useful documents and links.
Will I receive a copy of the event recording?
Our monthly subscription and webinar clients receive recordings of the live sessions; otherwise we do not record our courses to encourage confidential discussion and questions under the Chatham House Rule
What time zone are online events delivered in?
All events are delivered in UTC / London time unless otherwise stated
What is included in in-person events?
Full-day training includes refreshments, full documentation which is emailed prior to the event and networking opportunities.
Are your venues accessible?
Yes. All venues are fully accessible.
Are your courses CPD-certified?
Many courses are accredited by The CPD Certification Service.
Can I ask questions about my organisation’s situation?
Yes. Trainers answer questions during the session and can respond afterward.
Will the training help us prepare for an audit?
Yes, on our audit courses you will learn what triggers visits, what officers look for, and how to evidence compliance.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. All attendees receive a digital certificate of course completion.
Do you offer private or in-house training?
Yes. All courses can be tailored for your team. Visit https://bfi.co.uk/team-training/
Do you offer consultancy?
Yes. BFI offers policy reviews, audit preparation, HR compliance support, and workforce advisory services.