'Wake-up call' | Millions of workers left in the dark as historic employment reforms approach

The UK is on the brink of the most significant transformation of workplace rights in decades, yet new data reveals a stark information deficit, with millions of employees unaware of their new legal protections.

As the Employment Rights Act 2025 (formerly the Employment Rights Bill) prepares for its first major wave of implementation in April 2026, Reward Gateway | Edenred’s research reveals that the very people the law is designed to protect - ranging from new parents to those facing redundancy - remain largely unaware of how the changes apply to them personally.

Billed as a "generational upgrade,” the reforms aim to end the era of insecure work. Key changes coming into force include:

• Day-one rights: Significant shifts to parental leave and sick pay. Paternity leave and unpaid parental leave will become ‘day-one’ rights, removing the previous one-year service requirement. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will also be available from the first day of illness, removing the "waiting period" and the lower earnings limit

• Unfair dismissal reform: The qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection is set to be slashed from two years to just six months, alongside the removal of the compensation cap for claims

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