Kent employers get expert advice on the upcoming changes in employment law

Employment law specialists from Furley Page kept Kent employers  informed about imminent employment law changes at a successful seminar hosted by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.

Andrew Masters and Patrick Glencross addressed over 40 Kent employers  and Chamber members about the major implications of the Employment Rights Act 2025, with many provisions coming into force from 6 April this year.

Andrew Masters, Partner and Head of Employment at Furley Page, said: “While there is general awareness regarding the changes coming into force, there is a lot of detail involved that some employers  may have missed or are still getting to grips with.

“These changes, some coming into effect in a matter of weeks, have implications for any business that employs staff and may require updates to company policies, employee handbooks and employment contracts for businesses to keep ahead of the legislation and avoid issues in the future.”

Those attending the seminar were informed about the whole raft of changes coming into effect, including changes to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from April, with employees entitled to SSP from day 1 of sickness absence.

Employees will also be entitled to day 1 statutory leave rights, including for paternity leave and parental leave, and bereaved partner’s paternity leave. General bereavement leave is also coming into force in April 2027, replacing the current scheme of Parental Bereavement Leave.

Other forthcoming changes resulting from the Employment Rights Act include measures around:

• protection for employees from sexual harassment from third parties, such as customers and suppliers;
• enhanced trade union rights;
• enhanced compensation for failure to comply with collective redundancy consultation;
• fire and rehire dismissals;
• extension of tribunal time-limits;
• reduced qualifying period for unfair dismissal;
• flexible working and zero hours workers.

In addition to new regulations, there are also new opportunities for employers. At the end of last year, it was announced that there was new funding available for occupational health training, providing training for 5,000 eligible managers up to the end of March this year. The training is designed to help managers of small businesses to identify health issues early.

Andrew Masters continued: “Employment law changes regularly, but these changes are significant and employers need to fully understand the implications to ensure they remain operating within the law.”

Further seminars are planned for later in the year, if you are interested in attending please get in touch.