01/10/2026
October employment law changes are here. Is your business ready?
Several changes come into effect during October 2026, affecting right-to-work checks, employment tribunal claims, workplace harassment and trade union rights.
For employers and recruitment businesses, the key points are:
âś… Right-to-work checks
Draft Home Office guidance indicates that responsibilities will extend beyond traditional employees to include certain workers on contracts for services, individual subcontractors and some online platform arrangements.
Review how workers are engaged, understand your subcontracting arrangements and check that any digital verification provider is appropriately certified and registered.
For ordinary temporary agency assignments, responsibility will generally remain with the employment business engaging the worker.
âś… Employment tribunal claims
From 1 October, the time limit for bringing most employment tribunal claims increases from three months to six months.
Employees will have longer to raise a claim, so clear record-keeping, meeting notes and consistent processes will become even more important.
âś… Preventing harassment
From 30 October, employers must take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment, strengthening the existing requirement to take “reasonable steps”.
Employers may also become liable for harassment by third parties, including customers, clients, contractors, suppliers or members of the public.
Review your policies, reporting procedures, risk assessments, employee training and customer-facing arrangements. The emphasis is on preventing harassment, not simply responding after an incident.
âś… Trade union rights
Changes from 30 October will strengthen trade union access and workplace representation. Employers will have new responsibilities around informing workers of their right to join a union, supporting union representatives and protecting workers from detrimental treatment connected with industrial action.
Sector-specific changes will also affect public sector outsourcing and adult social care.
Now is the time to review:
• Recruitment and onboarding procedures
• Right-to-work checking arrangements
• Employment and supplier contracts
• Harassment and lone-working policies
• Training and reporting procedures
• Record-keeping and document retention
• Trade union communications
Not every change will affect every employer in the same way. However, reviewing your processes now can help protect your people, reduce risk and give your business greater confidence as the new rules take effect.
