Course overview

The biggest shake-up to UK employment law in a generation is coming, and most business owners haven’t clocked how much it affects them. This course cuts through the legal jargon and tells you plainly what’s changing, when, and what you actually need to do about it.

We’ll cover what’s already live and already introduced from updates in April and October 2026 and January and what’s still coming down the track. No panic, no legal jargon, just a clear, practical run-through so you know exactly where you stand and what to put in place before it matters.

This course is designed for any business owners without in-house HR support who need to understand the risk and get ahead of it, plus line managers and HR professionals who want the same clarity.

Whether you have 2, 20 or 200 employees in your business the new law means you are expected to make immediate updates to day-to-day management practices, employment contracts, policies/handbooks and record keeping. The government have also introduced a new enforcement body with the power to investigate and penalise non-compliant businesses who do not adhere to the new practices. So not being aware of the changes is not going to be a plausible excuse.

Business owners without HR support don’t know what’s changing, when it applies to them, or what to actually do about it, so it sits in the “I’ll deal with it later” pile until it’s a problem. This course replaces that uncertainty with a clear, plain-English understanding of the changes and a concrete action plan, so owners can fix the gaps in their contracts and processes before they become a costly mistake.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for SME business owners who don’t have in-house HR support and need to understand how the Employment Rights Act 2025 affects them, without wading through legal jargon to get there.

It also suits line managers and supervisors who handle people issues day-to-day, and HR professionals in smaller organisations who want a clear, practical refresher on what’s changing and when.

It’s a good fit for anyone who manages people but isn’t a specialist in employment law and who’d rather understand the risk now than get caught out later.

This course is for you if:

• You run an SME and don’t have in-house HR support
• You’ve heard “employment law is changing” but don’t know what that actually means for your business
• You manage people day-to-day and want to make sure you’re not caught out
• You’d rather sort this now than scramble later
• You want plain English, not legal jargon

Also relevant for line managers, supervisors, and HR professionals who want a practical refresher.

What you’ll learn

• What’s already changed in employment law since April & October 2026, and what it means in practice
• A deeper dive into how the unfair dismissal qualifying period change works from January 2027, including who it applies to retrospectively and why the July 2026 hire date matters
• What’s still ahead in 2027, so you can plan rather than react
• How to check your current contracts, policies and procedures against the new rules
• A practical, prioritised checklist and action plan of what the priorities are for your business so you do not have to look at doing everything at once

Course outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the key changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 in plain English
• Identify which of these changes apply to your business and when
• Spot the gaps in their current contracts, policies or processes
• Walk away with a clear, prioritised action plan
• Feel confident about the changes instead of uncertain