{"id":16436,"date":"2026-04-17T17:26:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/?post_type=resources&p=16436"},"modified":"2026-04-20T18:13:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T18:13:19","slug":"employment-rights-act-phased-approach","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/employment-rights-act-phased-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Employment Rights Act: Is the phased approach helping or hindering HR?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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by Caroline Green<\/strong>, Career Development Expert<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA) is reshaping UK employment law, but it is not happening overnight – the first major cluster of changes have now taken effect, with further implementation phases announced – and that presents an opportunity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I talked to a group of HR professionals about the pros and cons of the Government’s lengthy implementation timeline, who offered useful tips on making the most of the phased approach to legislative reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR will need to manage a multi-year sequence of changes, requiring ongoing policy reviews, contract updates, manager training and communication cycles. If handled reactively, this could become a constant drain on capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How phasing supports HR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The phased approach offers something rare in employment law reform for HR: breathing space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of having to change contracts, policies, processes and manager training all at once, HR has been given a structured runway. This means you can stagger the work: from auditing and reviewing in advance of the changes, to updating individual policies as measures come into force, training managers and communicating with all staff as you move through each phase. Charlotte Yallop, an employment solicitor, agrees: “A phased approach makes sense legally and commercially. Use the window before implementation to map risks, budget for costs and prepare draft policies.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amanda Jenkins, a senior people officer, says: “Early planning is key to success, and informing other areas of the business is included in this.” This mirrors the value HR consultancies are placing on early communication. As Tracey Salisbury, director of an HR consultancy, notes: “We inform our clients directly through emails, blogs and handouts, and webinars.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR teams inside organisations should adopt a similar philosophy: regular updates, multi-format communication and accessible guidance to ensure understanding of this phased approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenges for HR with this approach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite its benefits, a staggered rollout also risks creating ongoing complexity and confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR will need to manage a multi-year sequence of changes, requiring ongoing policy reviews, contract updates, manager training and communication cycles. If handled reactively, this could become a constant drain on capacity. With reforms going live in batches in 2026, 2027 and potentially beyond, employees may also become confused about what applies when. Without clear messaging, HR could face:<\/p>\n\n\n\n