The Employment Rights Act represents the ‘biggest upgrade to rights at work for a generation’ and further measures will come into force next month. From 1 October, the time limit for an employee to make a claim to an Employment Tribunal will be increased from three to six months, with the following measures to be introduced from 30 October:
- Employers will be required to prevent harassment of their employees by third parties and to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment, replacing the current legal obligation to take ‘reasonable steps’. Ministers will also be given the power to bring into effect at a later date evidence‐based steps that employers must take to prevent sexual harassment.
- Employers will have to provide a written statement to workers informing them of their right to join a trade union. This statement must be provided at the start of a worker’s employment and at other prescribed times, and the Government is expected to publish further guidance on what it must include this month.
The Government has created a dedicated webpage with guidance and practical tools to support employers in meeting their obligations under the Act. This is being regularly updated as more measures are introduced throughout the rest of 2026 and 2027.