Employment Advice for Employees
This information has been compiled on 15 April 2026 and reflects the law as it stands today under the Employment Rights Act 2025 and other current legislation.
Welcome to our Employment Advice for Employees section at Lezemore Solicitors. We know that problems at work can be stressful and confusing, so we explain everything in plain, everyday English. Whether you’re facing unfair treatment, issues with pay or leave, or thinking about leaving your job, we give you clear advice on your rights and the practical next steps.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 has already introduced several important new protections for employees and workers. The key changes that are now in force include:
- From 6 April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is payable from the first day of sickness absence (the previous three waiting days have been removed) and there is no longer a lower earnings threshold therefore extending SSP eligibility to employees who previously fell below the lower earnings.
- From 6 April 2026, paternity leave and unpaid parental leave became day-one rights (you can take them from the first day in a new job). Note that the qualifying conditions for statutory paternity pay remain separate and have not changed.
- From 6 April 2026, reporting sexual harassment at work is now expressly treated as a qualifying disclosure for whistleblowing protection.
- From 6 April 2026, the maximum protective award for failure to consult properly on collective redundancies doubled from 90 to 180 days’ pay.
- From 6 April 2026, a new right to bereaved partner’s paternity leave was introduced.
- On 7 April 2026, the new Fair Work Agency launched as a central enforcement body for key employment rights, including the national minimum wage, holiday pay and related protections.
Contact J L Lezemore Solicitors covering Hertfordshire and Essex
Need help with a work problem? Get in touch today for straightforward, practical advice. We offer flexible appointments (including evenings and weekends where possible) across Hertfordshire and Essex.
The earlier you contact us, the more options you usually have. We look forward to helping you protect your rights at work.
Please visit our contact page for more information.
We help employees across Hertfordshire and Essex with all aspects of employment law. Common issues we deal with include:
- Contracts, pay and holidays – checking your terms, dealing with unpaid wages, holiday entitlement or unlawful deductions.
- Discrimination, harassment or bullying – protection from unfair treatment because of a protected characteristic (age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.).
- Grievances and disciplinaries – helping you raise a formal complaint or defend yourself in a disciplinary meeting.
- Unfair dismissal or redundancy – at present you normally need two years’ service to claim ordinary unfair dismissal (this reduces in January 2027 – see below). We advise on settlement agreements, negotiation and tribunal claims where appropriate.
- Whistleblowing – protection if you’ve spoken up about wrongdoing, now with extra safeguards for sexual harassment reports.
- Flexible working requests – your right to ask and how to challenge an unreasonable refusal.
- Sick pay and sickness absence – ensuring you receive SSP from day one and handling fit notes or return-to-work discussions.
- Family-related leave – paternity, parental, shared parental or bereavement leave, including the new day-one rights.
- Settlement agreements – a written, legally binding agreement between an employer and an employee or worker under which, usually in return for a payment or other agreed terms, the individual agrees to waive specified employment claims – the legal costs are usually paid by the employer.
Most problems can be sorted through internal grievance procedures, negotiation or a protected conversation. If needed, we can represent you at an employment tribunal. We always aim for the quickest, least stressful outcome possible.
What’s coming in the next year
Further significant changes are expected later in 2026 and in 2027. These include:
- No earlier than October 2026 – the time limit for bringing most Employment Tribunal claims is expected to increase from 3 to 6 months.
- October 2026 – employers are expected to become liable for certain third-party harassment where they failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent it.
- October 2026 – further trade union reforms, including a duty on employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union and wider union access rights.
- January 2027 – the qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal is expected to reduce from two years to six months, and the statutory cap on compensatory awards is expected to be removed.
- January 2027 – new restrictions on “fire and rehire” practices are expected to take effect.
We keep fully up to date with all these developments and will always give you advice based on the law that applies to your situation right now.
