Sick pay changes expected to have biggest impact in North West of Employments Rights Act changes, Acas survey finds

A survey of workers and employers commissioned by Acas has revealed that changes to sick pay is expected to have the greatest impact in the North West out of upcoming changes to employment rights.

The survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of Acas, asked senior decision makers at businesses nationwide as well as 1,000 employees which changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025 will have the biggest impact.

In the North West, new rights on sick pay topped the polls. For employees, changes to flexible working ranked second, followed by protections against unfair dismissals. North West employers ranked protections against unfair dismissals second, followed by paternity leave being allowed from day one of employment.

The first of new rules being brought in by the Employment Rights Act will come into force from 6th April 2026. These include an entitlement to statutory sick pay from the first day of absence, rather than the fourth, and day one rights to paternity leave.

From 1 January 2027, employees will be protected from unfair dismissal if they have worked for their employer for at least six months. Currently an employee must have two years continuous service to be able to claim unfair dismissal.

In 2027 new measures will come into force intended to improve access to flexible working. Flexible working can involve a change to when, where or how someone works.

Niall Mackenzie, Acas Chief Executive, said:

“The Employment Rights Act is a major shake-up in employment law and will impact businesses and workers in the North West.

“It’s crucial that both employer and employees get to grips with the new rules, and Acas remains best placed as independent experts helping everyone at work throughout this period of change.

“Acas will be working with employers, workers and their representatives on the implementation of the Employment Rights Act and we will be updating our advice and training.”

To help businesses prepare for the changes, the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) has rolled out new online resources for UK employers to access support on employment law.