Employment Rights Act: Family-Friendly Updates
Family comes first, right? Well, the Employment Rights Act is making sure your employees can put theirs first too.
From February 2026, there are several important changes to paternity, parental, bereavement, and maternity protections. If you own a business or manage people you need to know these updates and take action.
Day 1 Paternity and Parental Leave
From 18 February 2026, employees who are newly eligible for paternity leave or unpaid parental leave will be able to give notice from Day 1 of their employment.
Then, from 6 April 2026, this will be fully rolled out:
Employees can access Day 1 Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave.
For children born or placed for adoption from 6 April 2026 (or this is their expected week of childbirth) the parent’s paternity leave will become a day-one right (removing the 26 weeks’ service requirement). Eligibility for statutory paternity pay is not changing. The 26-week qualifying period will stay the same.
Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave gives employed, bereaved fathers and partners, a day-one right to extended paternity leave in the first year of a child’s life if they are in the tragic circumstance of losing the child’s mother or primary adopter. Available from day one of employment for up to 52 weeks duration, ending on a child's first birthday
These changes aren’t just about ticking boxes - they’re about supporting employees at critical life moments while ensuring your business stays compliant.
Enhanced Protections for Pregnant Employees and New Mothers
From 2027, the ERA strengthens protections for pregnant employees and new mothers, including:
Enhanced dismissal protections: employers will need to be extra careful when managing roles and responsibilities for pregnant staff or those returning from maternity leave.
Bereavement leave, including pregnancy loss: employees experiencing pregnancy loss will have statutory leave entitlement, recognising the serious impact on the employee.
What This Means for You as a Business Owner
These updates are a call to review and strengthen your family-friendly policies and processes. Here’s where to start:
Update contracts and policies: Ensure parental leave, bereavement leave, and paternity policies and any guidance reflect the Day 1 changes and new protections.
Train managers: Equip managers to handle requests sensitively and correctly, especially for bereavement, pregnancy, and parental leave scenarios.
Plan for resource coverage: Longer or unexpected leave periods may affect team capacity - make sure contingency plans are in place.
Communicate with your teams: Keep employees informed about the changes, what they’re entitled to, when they take place from and how to request leave.
Bottom Line
The ERA family updates are a win for employees, but also a compliance requirement for employers. Putting the right policies, processes, and communication in place now ensures you can support your staff while protecting your business from risk.
Streetwise HR can help you review contracts, update policies, train managers, and implement practical solutions so you’re ready for February 2026 and beyond.