Acas has welcomed strong employer awareness of new paternity and parental leave rules coming into effect this month, while encouraging remaining businesses to get up to speed.
A new YouGov survey, commissioned by Acas, showed that 87% of employers were aware of the changes coming into effect next month, while 12% were unaware.
Major changes to employment law introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025 will come into effect on 6 April 2026.
Niall Mackenzie, Acas Chief Executive, said:
"The Employment Rights Act 2025 represents a major shake-up in employment law, and employers and workers need to be prepared.
"It is encouraging that so many employers are aware of the new rules, but it is clearly still an uncertainty for some. It is vital that all employers are aware of their obligations and are ready to act on them.
"Acas is best placed as the independent expert to provide advice and training to employers and workers navigating this period of change."
Kate Dearden, Employment Rights Minister, said:
"No new parent should miss out on time with their child because they haven't been in their job long enough. Our reforms to parental leave are putting that right.
"I’m glad to see so many employers are prepared for the changes, to make sure workers get the benefits and security they deserve."
Changes to employment law coming into effect on 6 April include:
- employees will be eligible for paternity leave from the first day of employment – currently, they must have worked for their employer for 26 weeks
- ordinary unpaid parental leave will also become a day one right – currently, employees must have worked for their employer for 1 year to be eligible
- the restriction on taking paternity leave after shared parental leave will be removed
- eligible fathers and partners will be able to take up to 52 weeks of unpaid bereaved partner's paternity leave if the mother or primary adopter dies – they must take this leave within 52 weeks of the child's birth (including surrogacy), adoption placement, or entry to Great Britain for overseas adoptions
Employers and managers can get training from Acas about changes to paternity and parental leave.
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Background notes
Acas is the leading authority on workplace relations and dispute resolution in Great Britain. We provide free, impartial advice to employers and employees on workplace rights, rules and best practice. We also provide training and tailored support for businesses that can help them succeed. Acas is a non-departmental public body that is governed by an independent Council made up of employers, employee representatives and independent members.
Acas commissioned YouGov to poll employers in a representative sample of British businesses. The surveys were carried out online and the total sample size was 1,011 senior decision makers in Great Britain. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2 February to 9 February 2026. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc and have been weighted and are representative of British business size and region.
Respondents were asked: "In April, changes to employment law means that paternity and parental leave becomes a day one right for all employees. This means everyone is eligible for this type of leave from the day they start working for a company, removing any requirements to work a certain number of weeks before being eligible. Before reading this, how aware, if at all, were you of these changes coming into place?"
The results were:
Very aware – I know all about these changes 37%
Somewhat aware – I had heard about the change but am not aware of the details 50%
Not at all aware – I have not heard of this before now 12%
Not sure 1%- Paternity leave will become a 'day one right', allowing someone to give notice of leave from the first day of employment – currently someone must have worked for their employer for 26 weeks. To be eligible for statutory paternity pay, the employee or worker must have been continuously employed by the same employer for at least 26 weeks up to any day in the 'qualifying week'.