The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 introduced a new preventative duty on employers. It requires you to take 'all reasonable steps' to prevent sexual harassment of your employees — not just to respond when it happens.

The Employment Rights Act builds on this framework, and the direction of regulatory travel is clear: employers are increasingly expected to be proactive, not reactive.

For small business owners, 'all reasonable steps' can sound like a phrase designed for large organisations with dedicated HR and legal teams. So let's make it concrete.

Statutory Sick Pay has sat in the background of most small business HR conversations for years — a figure you know you need to pay, a process you hope you don't need to use too often.

The Employment Rights Act changes that picture. The SSP reforms are more significant than many business owners realise, and they have direct implications for how you handle absence across your team.

Of all the changes in the Employment Rights Act, this one tends to generate the most questions — and the most anxiety — from small business owners.

The two-year qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection is changing. You will only have 6 months of protection.  This is a huge shift.

Here's what you need to understand — and what you need to do about it.

One of the most frustrating things about the Employment Rights Act rollout is that it's not a single moment. There's no one date when everything changes overnight.

Instead, different provisions are coming into force at different points across 2026 and 2027. Which means the risk of getting caught out isn't just about knowing what's changing — it's about knowing when.

Here's a practical guide to the key implementation dates and what they mean for your business planning.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 changes are rolling out across 2026, and 2027 — which means you have a narrow window to get this right.

The businesses that will navigate this best are those that take a clear-eyed look at their current HR practices, identify the gaps, and address them in a structured way. Not all at once. Not overnight. But deliberately, and with the right support.

Here's what catches most small business owners off guard about the Employment Rights Act:

The new unfair dismissal protections (dropping the qualifying period from 2 years to 6 months) will apply to people you've ALREADY employed. Not just future hires. Your current team too.