Employers and employees should be aware of the following changes to employment laws in England, Wales and Scotland in October 2026. They provide more rights for employees and trades unions. Employers will need to provide documentation to implement some of these changes.
Employment changes from 1 October 2026
- Tribunal Deadlines: The deadline to bring most Employment Tribunal claims doubles from 3 months to 6 months for events occurring on or after this date.
Employment changes from 30 October 2026
- Sexual Harassment Duty: The existing duty to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment upgrades to taking “all reasonable steps”. Sometime in the future, the law will specify what ‘reasonable steps’ means when preventing sexual harassment.
- Third-Party Harassment: Employers face a new legal duty not to permit harassment of employees by third parties (such as customers or clients) across all protected characteristics.
- Trade Union Rights:
- a new duty for employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union
- updated rules on a trade union’s right of access to the workplace
- a new right to reasonable accommodation and facilities for trade union representatives carrying out their duties
- a new right to time off for union equality representatives to carry out their duties
- an updated Code of Practice on trade union recognition.
We would be happy to advise you on the documentation required to implement these changes.
Tom Redfern email:tredfern@redfernlegal.com
