The landscape of UK employment law has officially entered a new era. As of April 2026, the Employment Rights Act has introduced some of the most significant changes to workers’ rights in a generation. Shifting the focus toward day one protections and more rigorous enforcement.

Find out how employment law has changed and how you can make sure that you’re following the new legislation.

1. Sick pay from day one

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is now a day-one right for employees in the UK – meaning you no longer have to wait until an employee’s fourth day of illness to pay them.

And there’s been further tweaking to the earnings threshold for SSP:

• no earnings floor – the lower earnings limit has also been removed. This means part-time or lower-earning staff are now eligible for SSP
• a new rate – for those who earn less than the standard SSP rate, they’re now entitled to either a flat weekly rate or 80% of their normal earnings (whichever is lower)

2. Day one family leave

Paternity leave and unpaid parental leave have moved from being earned benefits to immediate rights:

• no more 26-week wait – new hires can now request paternity leave from their first day on the job
• shorter paternity leave notice – the notice period for paternity leave has been slashed from 15 weeks to 28 days, giving families more flexibility
• new bereaved partner’s leave – a new protection has been introduced that allows up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave if a mother or primary adopter passes away during a child...

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