October employment law changes
Read about upcoming Employment Rights Act legislation changes that come into effect in October 2026.
Employment law amendments have been gradually introduced through the Employment Rights Act (ERA) 2025 and next month will see several more legislative provisions come into force.
Many employers will have been preparing for these changes, but as a reminder, we’ve summarised the key updates below:
- Employment tribunal time limits will increase from three to six months.
- Fair pay agreement in adult social care.
- Prevention of sexual harassment – employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees (see updated Acas guidance).
- Obligation on employers not to permit harassment by third parties (see updated Acas guidance).
- Trade unions – stronger rights of access, new protections for representatives and workers taking industrial action, and reforms to union recognition rules.
Actions for employers
Employers are advised to ensure they are aware of the breadth of the act and should do the following:
- review the updates and timescales from the government
- consider how current policies and procedures may be impacted
- consider the impact on any future policies being developed.
Further information
For more information on all of the ERA changes, including a timeline and links to government guidance, employers can refer to our Employment Rights Act 2025 web page.
The roadmap also highlights several voluntary measures that employers are encouraged to adopt ahead of these becoming mandatory in 2027.
