Employment Rights Act 2025 Broadens 1-Week Bereavement Leave and Doubles Some Fire-and-Rehire Awards
Updated
Updated · People Management Magazine · Jun 22
Employment Rights Act 2025 Broadens 1-Week Bereavement Leave and Doubles Some Fire-and-Rehire Awards
3 articles · Updated · People Management Magazine · Jun 22
Summary
At least 1 week of bereavement leave will be extended beyond parental loss under the Employment Rights Act 2025, adding a less-publicized change employers must prepare for.
The act also tightens workplace conduct rules by shifting harassment prevention from taking “reasonable steps” to “all reasonable steps,” raising expectations for training, reporting systems and evidence of prevention.
Collective consultation duties could widen across multiple sites in redundancy exercises, limiting employers’ ability to treat locations separately when assessing consultation thresholds.
Fire-and-rehire remains legal but faces a higher justification threshold, with tribunals expected to scrutinize consultation more closely and maximum awards for some breaches set to double.
Many major provisions are still to be phased in through late 2026 and 2027, giving employers time to review leave, restructuring and conduct policies before the framework fully takes effect.