At last we’re here.
We’ve been banging on about these changes for what feels like years. We promise this is the last time we’ll mention it.
A quick summary of the changes that were implemented on April 6 2026:
Day One Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) & Eligibility
The three-day waiting period and lower earnings threshold for SSP has been abolished. Employees now qualify for SSP from the first day of sickness absence.
Day One Paternity & Parental Leave
The qualifying periods for paternity leave (26 weeks) and unpaid parental leave (one year) have been removed. Employees are now able to take leave from day one.
Enhanced Whistleblowing Protection
Sexual harassment is now explicitly included as a protected disclosure under whistleblowing legislation, offering greater protection for employees who report incidents.
July 2026
Unfair Dismissal Claims
The new 6 months’ qualifying period will apply to all employees who have at least six months qualifying service on 1 January 2027 (i.e. including those who commenced employment in July 2026), with regulations to be issued early 2027.
Anyone with 6mts service can claim unfair dismissal including existing employees.
What this means for probationary periods
Employers will need to consider shortening existing probationary periods to ensure they can still terminate within probation without following the disciplinary process.
As employees with 6mts service will be able to claim Unfair Dismissal, we advise reducing probation periods to 4mts. This will allow for the inclusion of statutory notice without tipping the employee over into 6mts service.
As always, if you have any queries on the above, contact us thehelens@complexhr.co.uk
