UK Employment Rights Act brings sweeping changes from April 6

The first wave of the UK Employment Rights Act 2025 takes effect from April 6, 2026, introducing day-one rights to unfair dismissal protection (with an initial 9-month statutory probation period), strengthened flexible working rights, and new protections against “fire and rehire” practices.

For remote workers, the flexible working provisions are most significant — employers must now demonstrate that refusal of a flexible working request is reasonable, shifting the burden from employee to employer. This represents a major change for UK-based remote and hybrid workers negotiating arrangements with employers.