What the Employment Rights Bill Means for Hiring in Architecture & Design

The UK’s employment landscape is undergoing a significant shift. With the introduction of the Employment Rights Act 2025, and phased changes expected through 2026 and 2027, practices across architecture and interior design will need to rethink how they approach hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning.

Earlier protection for new hires

One of the most notable changes is around unfair dismissal. Rather than becoming a full day-one right, employees will now gain protection after six months, instead of the current two years.

For employers, this means the margin for error when hiring is narrowing. Decisions made in the first few months of employment will carry more risk, making structured onboarding and clear performance management essential.

In practice, we expect to see:

• More rigorous interview processes
• Greater emphasis on cultural and technical fit
• Tighter probation reviews and documentation

A shift away from “informal flexibility”

Zero-hours contracts are not being banned, but they are being reshaped. Where individuals are working regular patterns, employers will be expected to offer contracts that reflect those hours.

There will also be:

• Increased expectations around shift notice
• Potential compensation for last-minute cancellations

For architecture and design studios that rely on flexible resourcing, particularly at busy project stages, this could require more forward planning and clearer workforce structures.

Day-one rights expanding

Several employment rights are moving to day one eligibility, including:

• Statutory Sick Pay
• Paternity leave
• Parental leave

This reduces the distinction between new starters and longer-term employees, placing more responsibility on employers from the outset of employment.

Fire and rehire under scrutiny

The practice of dismissing employees and rehiring them on less favourable terms is set to become much harder to justify, with stronger legal protections for employees.

While not a common approach in most design practices, this reinforces the need for careful workforce planning and transparent communication when change is required.

What this means for the sector

From our perspective, these changes are likely to influence hiring behaviour across the industry.

We are already anticipating:

• More considered, and potentially slower, hiring decisions
• Greater scrutiny on candidate suitability before offer stage
• Stronger reliance on trusted recruitment partners to mitigate hiring risk

For practices operating in a competitive talent market, balancing risk with the need to secure top talent will be key.

Our view

The direction of travel is clear: greater protection for employees, and greater accountability for employers.

For architecture and interior design practices, this doesn’t need to be a barrier to growth, but it does mean that hiring strategies will need to evolve.

Getting the right person into the business first time has never been more important.

If you would like to discuss how these changes may impact your hiring plans, or how to adapt your recruitment strategy, we’re always happy to share insight.