The Employment Rights Act: A new era for family-friendly rights, with Joanna Holford and Megan Latham
Wed Jan 28 2026
Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.
Kicking off Season 4, we take a deep dive into how the Employment Rights Act 2025 will transform a key area of employment law: family-friendly rights at work. We explain what the changes mean, when they are expected to come into force, and the practical steps employers can take now to stay one step ahead.
Host Ellie Gelder is joined by Joanna Holford, senior associate, and Megan Latham, trainee solicitor, both from our Employment, Engagement & Equality team, who share their insights on:
New "day one" rights to statutory paternity leave, unpaid parental leave, bereavement leave and how these will apply in practice;The introduction of extended paternity leave for eligible bereaved fathers and partners, (separate from the ERA but also coming into force in April 2026);Enhanced protections for pregnant workers and new mothers against dismissal;Flexible working reforms;The recently published terms of reference for the government's review into carers leave; andTop tips to prepare for this new era of family-friendly rights.
The Work Couch will bring you more updates on the Employment Rights Act (ERA) as they develop. In the meantime, you can keep on top of all of the 25 plus employment law reforms introduced by the ERA - as well as access key watch-outs – by signing up to our ERA tracker, a free resource which is regularly updated by the Employment, Engagement & Equality team.
* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer
We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.
All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.
References
1. Next Steps to Make Work Pay
2. Employment Rights Act 2025
3. Government's Parental Leave and Pay Review
4. The Employment Rights Act 2025 (Parental and Paternity Leave) (Removal of Qualifying Periods etc.) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/15)
5. Work Couch podcast: Pregnancy loss and work (Part 1): Does the law reflect expected work cultures? (14 June 2023)
6. Government consultation on day one right to bereavement leave (Closed on 15 January 2026)
7. Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024
8. Draft Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave Regulations 2026
9. Government Factsheet: Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers
10. Government consultation on enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers (Closed on 15 January 2026)
11. Work Couch podcast: Carers week special (Part 2): Intersectional nuances, wellbeing and creating carer-friendly workplaces (25 June 2025)
12. Terms of reference for government review into employment rights for unpaid carers (19 November 2025)
13. Carers UK Report: Juggling work and unpaid care (January 2019)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment. Kicking off Season 4, we take a deep dive into how the Employment Rights Act 2025 will transform a key area of employment law: family-friendly rights at work. We explain what the changes mean, when they are expected to come into force, and the practical steps employers can take now to stay one step ahead. Host Ellie Gelder is joined by Joanna Holford, senior associate, and Megan Latham, trainee solicitor, both from our Employment, Engagement & Equality team, who share their insights on: New "day one" rights to statutory paternity leave, unpaid parental leave, bereavement leave and how these will apply in practice;The introduction of extended paternity leave for eligible bereaved fathers and partners, (separate from the ERA but also coming into force in April 2026);Enhanced protections for pregnant workers and new mothers against dismissal;Flexible working reforms;The recently published terms of reference for the government's review into carers leave; andTop tips to prepare for this new era of family-friendly rights. The Work Couch will bring you more updates on the Employment Rights Act (ERA) as they develop. In the meantime, you can keep on top of all of the 25 plus employment law reforms introduced by the ERA - as well as access key watch-outs – by signing up to our ERA tracker, a free resource which is regularly updated by the Employment, Engagement & Equality team. * Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes. All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice. References 1. Next Steps to Make Work Pay 2. Employment Rights Act 2025 3. Government's Parental Leave and Pay Review 4. The Employment Rights Act 2025 (Parental and Paternity Leave) (Removal of Qualifying Periods etc.) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/15) 5. Work Couch podcast: Pregnancy loss and work (Part 1): Does the law reflect expected work cultures? (14 June 2023) 6. Government consultation on day one right to bereavement leave (Closed on 15 January 2026) 7. Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024 8. Draft Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave Regulations 2026 9. Government Factsheet: Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers 10. Government consultation on enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers (Closed on 15 January 2026) 11. Work Couch podcast: Carers week special (Part 2): Intersectional nuances, wellbeing and creating carer-friendly workplaces (25 June 2025) 12. Terms of reference for government review into employment rights for unpaid carers (19 November 2025) 13. Carers UK Report: Juggling work and unpaid care (January 2019) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.