How to brief your managers on the Employment Rights Act changes in 20 minutes

Last checked 17 Oct 2026. Great Britain only. Dates can change.

Run one short meeting with every person who manages people. Spend about five minutes each on the two changes that matter most (unfair dismissal and sexual harassment), a few minutes on the rest, and finish with what managers should do and what they should not promise. Send a one page summary afterwards.

How long this takes

Twenty minutes for the meeting. Allow an hour beforehand to check each date against the GOV.UK timeline, and to decide who owns each follow up.

The 20 minute agenda

1. Why we are meeting (2 minutes). Several changes to employment law are arriving between now and early 2027. Some are fixed, some are only expected. Managers need to know which is which.
2. Unfair dismissal (5 minutes). From 1 January 2027 the qualifying period is due to fall from two years to six months, and the cap on the compensatory award is due to go. The test is the effective date of termination, not the day a decision is made. See unfair dismissal from 1 January 2027. Managers should hold and write up probation reviews, keep dated notes and talk to HR before any dismissal.
3. Sexual harassment duty (5 minutes). From 30 October 2026 the duty becomes "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment of employees, and employers can be liable for harassment by third parties such as customers and suppliers. The third party rule covers harassment related to any protected characteristic, not only sexual harassment. The regulations do not yet list specific steps. Acas suggests more than one way to report, training and a risk assessment. Managers should know how to take a report and who to pass it to. See the sexual harassment duty.
4. Tribunal time limit and records (2 minutes). Since 1 October 2026 most tribunal claims have a six month limit, and the three month limit may still apply to problems before that date, according to GOV.UK. Notes of meetings and decisions may be needed for longer. See the tribunal time limit.
5. Sick pay (2 minutes). Statutory sick pay has been payable from the first day since 6 April 2026. Managers should record absence dates accurately and pass them to payroll, who work out the amount.
6. Items still expected (3 minutes). Say plainly that these are not fixed. GOV.UK lists tipping by the end of 2026, and fire and rehire protections and the duty to tell workers about the right to join a union for January 2027. None has a confirmed day. See tipping, fire and rehire and the right to join a union duty. The rule for managers: do not change contract terms or write your own wording until HR says so.
7. Close (1 minute). Who to ask, where notes are kept and when the next update will be.

Questions to expect

• "Can I still let someone go in probation?" Probation does not remove legal risk. Staff are protected against discrimination and whistleblowing detriment from day one, and from 1 January 2027 most will have unfair dismissal rights at six months. Talk to HR first and follow a fair process.
• "Does this mean we can no longer dismiss anyone?" No. Dismissals can still be fair if there is a fair reason and a fair process. What changes is that more employees will be able to bring a claim.
• "What counts as all reasonable steps?" The detail has not been set out in regulations yet. What a business does depends on its size and work. We keep a dated record of what we do.
• "What if a customer behaves badly towards my team?" Report it the same day. Third party harassment is covered.
• "When does the tipping change start?" We do not know. GOV.UK says by the end of 2026.
• "Do I tell staff about the union right now?" Not yet. Wait for the official wording.

What managers should not promise

• That a change starts on a particular day, unless it is a date set in regulations.
• That someone's job is safe, or that they will pass probation.
• That a harassment complaint will be kept secret from everyone. Promise it will be handled properly and on a need to know basis.
• A change to pay, hours, tips or sick pay before HR or payroll has confirmed it.
• Any view on whether a particular person could win a claim.

What to record

• The date of the briefing and who attended
• The version of the summary they were given and its date
• Follow up actions, owners and due dates
• Any questions you could not answer, and who will find out

Common mistakes

• Presenting expected changes as if they were fixed.
• Going through every change in detail when most managers need three things: dates, notes and who to call.
• Briefing once and never updating. Diary a refresh when a date or status changes.
• Giving managers legal opinions instead of a process.

This guide is general information to help you prepare, not legal advice.

More guides

• How to work out when an employee reaches six months of service
• How to run probation reviews before 1 January 2027
• How to keep a dated record of what you do to prevent sexual harassment
• How to work out statutory sick pay under the new rules