Employment Rights Act 2025 · Site & concierge staff
From 30 October 2026, new employment law duties change what’s expected of everyone who employs site and concierge staff. Is your building prepared?
What’s changing
The Employment Rights Act 2025 brings in a series of changes through 2026 and into 2027. For buildings with on-site staff, three matter most.
Third-party harassment
Employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent staff being harassed by residents, visitors or contractors. Compensation for unlawful harassment is uncapped, and a single incident can be enough. That’s a real shift for front-of-house roles in constant contact with the public.
Stronger whistleblowing protections
Sexual harassment is now expressly covered by whistleblowing law. Staff who make a qualifying protected disclosure are protected from detriment and unfair dismissal, so your reporting routes need to line up with your harassment prevention measures.
Unfair dismissal changes
A six-month qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal claims and the removal of the compensatory award cap mean conduct and performance issues need managing earlier, particularly in site roles where staff turnover can be high.
Also worth getting right
Two areas that already apply, and are easy to overlook when employing staff directly:
Safeguarding checks
Where site staff support vulnerable residents, review the duties they actually perform to establish which DBS checks the role is eligible for and which checks are required. Unsupervised access, welfare visits or key-holding alone do not automatically make a role regulated activity.
If the duties include regulated activity with adults, an Enhanced DBS check with an Adults’ Barred List check may be appropriate. Getting the right checks in place helps protect your residents and your building.
Right-to-work checks
Every employer must verify a worker’s right to work before they start, with follow-up checks where required for time-limited permission. Getting it wrong carries significant civil penalties.
How we can help
We’re already working with a number of clients through these changes. A review covers:
- Employee handbooks and contracts
- Harassment prevention and reporting procedures
- Recruitment checks, including right-to-work and safeguarding
Helping you prepare with confidence and address any gaps ahead of the deadlines.
Request a site staff review
Want to know where you stand?
Tell us a little about your building and we’ll be in touch to arrange a review.
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Prefer to email? sitestaff@b-hivesitestaffsolutions.com
Information checked on 16 October 2026. Future implementation dates remain subject to parliamentary processes. DBS guidance referenced here applies to England and Wales.
Further guidance: government implementation timetable · Acas employment rights guidance · DBS regulated activity guidance · right-to-work checks.