Key takeaways
- Employers should review grievance, harassment and tribunal procedures now.
- Right-to-work requirements extend across workers, subcontractors and supply chains.
- Managers need clear support on new trade-union and third-party-harassment obligations.
UK businesses are being warned to prepare for the next phase of Employment Rights Act 2025 changes landing on 30 October, as part of the Act’s second wave of legislation coming into force this month.
Tribunal claim windows are doubling, the bar for preventing sexual harassment is rising sharply, there are new obligations to prevent third-party harassment, new rights for trade unions to request access to larger workforces and significant changes to right-to-work checks arriving within a four-week window.
“Preparation is vital: these changes will affect every employer.”
Gill McAteer, director of employment law at Citation
Gill McAteer, director of employment law at Citation, said employers need to ensure policies, training and reporting routes are ready for the changes.
Seven actions for employers
- Review employment tribunal procedures and record-keeping in light of longer claim windows.
- Revisit right-to-work processes for direct workers, subcontractors and supply chains.
- Update sexual-harassment prevention measures to reflect the new “all reasonable steps” standard.
- Put practical procedures in place to prevent third-party harassment.
- Prepare managers for trade-union access requests at larger workplaces.
- Review employee communications and training.
- Seek specialist advice where existing processes may not meet the new requirements.
The changes follow separate measures introduced earlier this month and form one of the most significant periods of employment-law change businesses have faced in recent years.
About Citation
Citation provides HR, employment law and health and safety support to UK businesses.
