One in three employers say day-one sick pay will be biggest Employment Rights Act challenge, Acas finds

Almost one in three employers believe introducing statutory sick pay from the first day of illness will be the biggest challenge arising from the Employment Rights Act 2025, according to research commissioned by Acas.

The YouGov survey found 30% of employers identified day-one sick pay as the most difficult change to implement.

More than a quarter (27%) said the new right to take paternity leave from the first day of employment would be the hardest to adopt.

Changes to unfair dismissal protections also ranked highly, with 23% of employers citing the reduction in the qualifying period from two years to six months as a key concern.

Acas said the findings would help it target support for employers and noted it had updated its guidance on probation periods ahead of the new unfair dismissal rules, which are due to come into force next year.

Baroness Maggie Jones, chair of Acas, said: “The reforms in the Employment Rights Act are the biggest shake-up to employment law in a generation, and it is vital that employers get up to speed quickly.

“The new day one rights on sick pay and paternity are already in effect and new protections against unfair dismissals are set to come in next year.

“Acas has updated its advice on probations to reflect the new changes on unfair dismissals, which is a significant change in the law. Businesses that get on top of all the changes early can prevent costly disputes from happening.”