23 reference articles covering ERA 2025, ACAS procedures, statutory rates, redundancy, contracts and compliance. Updated when the law changes.
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Start free — no card neededStatutory Sick Pay is payable from day one of sickness from 6 April 2026, and the Lower Earnings Limit has been abolished — all employees qualify regardless of earnings.
Paternity leave and Statutory Paternity Pay no longer require 26 weeks of continuous service — both are day-one rights from 6 April 2026.
Dismissing and rehiring on worse terms becomes automatically unfair dismissal for "restricted variations" — including pay, hours and shift patterns — from October 2026.
Workers on zero-hours or low-hours contracts gain the right to be offered guaranteed hours reflecting what they regularly work, after a 12-week reference period.
From 1 January 2027 the qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal drops from 2 years to 6 months, and the statutory compensation cap is abolished.
A new enforcement body launched in April 2026 to enforce holiday pay, National Minimum Wage, SSP and labour standards — with expanded civil penalty powers.
The full ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary procedures — investigation, hearing, decision and appeal — with what employers must get right at each stage.
Gross misconduct is conduct so serious it justifies summary dismissal without notice — including theft, violence, serious safety breaches and bullying.
Probation gives fewer protections — but that changes from January 2027 when the unfair dismissal qualifying period drops to six months. Day-one rights still apply throughout.
There is no statutory duration — ACAS guidance suggests 6–12 months for a first written warning and 12 months for a final, with longer periods only for exceptionally serious conduct.
Individual redundancy requires meaningful consultation. Collective consultation periods are 30 days (20–99 redundancies) or 45 days (100+). Protective awards doubled to 180 days from April 2026.
Statutory redundancy pay is based on age, length of service and weekly pay (capped at £751/week from April 2026, max £22,530). First £30,000 is tax-free.
Selection criteria must be objective and consistently applied. Pregnancy, maternity, disability-related absence and trade union membership cannot be used — doing so is automatic unfair dismissal.
Employers must provide a written statement of employment particulars on or before day one. The principal statement contains 11+ specified items; the rest can follow within 2 months.
UK employment law has three tiers — employee, worker, and self-employed — each with different rights. Status is decided by the reality of the relationship, not the label.
From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage is £12.71 (21+), the 18–20 rate is £10.85, and the 16–17 and apprentice rate is £8.00.
Statutory holiday is 5.6 weeks. Holiday pay must reflect normal earnings — including regular overtime and commission. Irregular hours use a 52-week reference period.
All employees get up to 52 weeks of maternity leave from day one. Statutory Maternity Pay is 90% of earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32/week for 33 weeks (or 90% AWE if lower).
A fair grievance procedure follows the ACAS Code — informal resolution first, then formal written grievance, hearing, outcome and appeal.
UK GDPR applies to all employee data. Employers need a lawful basis, must respect retention limits, respond to subject access requests within one month, and report breaches to the ICO within 72 hours.
TUPE transfers employees automatically on a business sale or service provision change, preserving their terms and continuity. Failure to inform and consult can cost up to 13 weeks' pay per employee.
The Equality Act 2010 protects against discrimination based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
A fair PIP sets SMART improvement targets over a defined review period, provides support, and clearly states the consequences of failure. ERA 2025 makes the process more important than ever.