Acas Issues Probation Guidance as 30% of Employers Flag Day-1 Sick Pay as Hardest Reform
Updated
Updated · Personnel Today · Jul 15
Acas Issues Probation Guidance as 30% of Employers Flag Day-1 Sick Pay as Hardest Reform
1 articles · Updated · Personnel Today · Jul 15
Summary
Acas published new probation-period advice ahead of a 1 January 2027 rule that will give workers unfair-dismissal protection after six months in a job, down from two years.
30% of employers in a YouGov survey for Acas said paying statutory sick pay from the first day of illness is the hardest Employment Rights Act change to adopt; that requirement took effect on 6 April.
27% cited day-one paternity leave as a challenge, 23% pointed to the new unfair-dismissal protections, and 21% and 20% flagged union-negotiation rights and guaranteed-hours options.
Acas warned that shortening probation below six months will not remove legal risk because workers still have protections during probation, including against discrimination, whistleblowing and breach of contract.
The agency said probation terms should match the role and that dismissal should be a last resort, underscoring what its chair called the biggest shake-up in employment law in a generation.