Understanding Employee Rights in the UK
What is changing in 2026 and 2027
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is changing several of the rights on this page in stages. From 1 October 2026 employees have six months, not three, to make most tribunal claims. From 1 January 2027 an employee can claim unfair dismissal after six months of service instead of two years, and the upper limit on compensation is removed, so a standard six-month probation period stops protecting you. New duties to prevent harassment, including by customers and other third parties, and a written statement of trade union rights for every worker are expected from 30 October 2026.
Read our guide: Employment Rights Act 2025: what you must do, and by when – the dates, the reasons and the actions, with a briefing and an action checklist to download.
Law stated as at 13 September 2026. Last reviewed 23 September 2026.
What Employers Need to Know
If you’re responsible for managing a UK workforce from overseas, it’s crucial to understand the UK’s complex employment law framework. From statutory employee rights to employer obligations, being informed and compliant protects your business and helps maintain a positive relationship with your UK employees.
At Türner & Co, we work exclusively with overseas businesses employing staff in the UK. Whether your UK team is employed via a local subsidiary or directly by the overseas parent company, we help you navigate your obligations as an employer.
Key Employer Obligations
UK employment law requires employers to provide employees with:
- A compliant contract of employment – tailored to UK legislation (not just a translation of your home country contract).
- Written particulars of employment from day one.
- Statutory policies such as grievance, disciplinary, and health & safety policies.
- Payslips that clearly show gross pay, deductions, and net pay.
- Statutory minimum entitlements for holiday, sick pay, parental leave, and notice periods.
Failure to comply can expose your business to legal and financial risk.
What Are Employee Rights in the UK?
The extent of rights depends on the individual’s status: employee, worker, or self-employed. Employees have the most comprehensive rights.
Core Employment Rights for Employees:
- National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage – Legal minimum hourly rates based on age.
- Holiday Entitlement – At least 28 days paid leave (including public holidays).
- Protection against unfair dismissal. After two years’ service until 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027, after six months’ service, and with no upper limit on compensation. A six-month probation period will no longer keep a dismissal outside this protection; see our Employment Rights Act 2025 guide.
- Redundancy Rights – Statutory redundancy pay based on age and length of service.
- Statutory sick pay (SSP). Payable from the first day of sickness absence, with no waiting days and no minimum earnings, at the lower of 80 per cent of average weekly earnings or the flat weekly rate (GBP 123.25 for 2026/27).
- Maternity, paternity and parental leave. Paternity leave and unpaid parental leave apply from the first day of employment. Statutory pay has its own qualifying conditions. See our family leave guide for every right and its pay test.
- Right to request flexible working. From the first day of employment. You may refuse only on one of the grounds set by law, and further changes to the refusal test are expected in 2027.
- Protection from Discrimination – On the grounds of protected characteristics (e.g., age, gender, race, disability).
- Health & Safety Protection – A safe and suitable working environment is required.
- Whistleblower Protection – Workers are protected if they report wrongdoing.
- Trade union and representation rights. Including the right to be accompanied at disciplinary and grievance hearings. From 30 October 2026 (expected), every worker must also receive a written statement of the right to join a trade union with their first-day documents.
We help our clients understand the implications of these rights in practice, including ensuring that your internal systems, policies, and management practices are aligned.
Managing Risk and Employee Relations
Having the correct documentation in place – from compliant employment contracts to clear policies – provides a strong foundation to:
- Manage probation periods and performance concerns
- Run a fair disciplinary process
- Navigate maternity and paternity leave arrangements
- Make redundancies lawfully
- Protect your business from tribunal claims
We support you in creating a UK-compliant HR infrastructure that anticipates issues before they arise.
How Türner & Co Can Help
We help overseas-based businesses with:
- Drafting compliant employment contracts and handbooks
- Providing ongoing HR advice on rights and obligations
- Supporting with dismissals, redundancies, and disputes
- Creating policy documents tailored to your operations
- Ensuring your employee rights obligations are met, without overburdening your HR team
We specialise in helping you manage the UK part of your global team – smoothly, lawfully, and with minimal risk.
FAQs
Yes. A translated home-country contract is unlikely to meet UK statutory requirements and could leave your business exposed. We provide tailored UK contracts.
Not without risk. Protection from discrimination and from automatically unfair reasons for dismissal applies from the first day. Until 31 December 2026 an employee needs two years' service to claim ordinary unfair dismissal, so a dismissal inside a six-month probation period is usually outside that claim. From 1 January 2027 the qualifying period is six months, counted to the day the employment ends including the notice period, so a decision at the end of a six-month probation is already too late. Our Employment Rights Act 2025 guide explains what to change.
Employees have additional rights (e.g. redundancy pay, unfair dismissal protection). We can help determine the correct status and structure your contracts accordingly.
Yes. Some policies are legally required regardless of size (e.g. health and safety, grievance). Others are best practice and can prevent disputes.
Yes. Even if performance is poor, employers must follow a fair process. We guide our clients through this to mitigate legal risk.
Yes – but these may create tax reporting obligations. We help you evaluate and structure benefit packages appropriately.
Yes. UK employment law protects people who work in the United Kingdom, whoever employs them and wherever the employer is based.
Contact Our Experts
Contact us today to find out how we can support your UK employment obligations.
Kate McDermott
Director
Head of Indirect Tax & HR
Jennifer Cooke
Assistant Manager
Management Reporting, Statutory Accounts, HR & Payroll