Most employers are well aware that the Government is embarking on an ambitious series of reforms. These are aimed at rebalancing, in their eyes, the employment relationship. As part of these changes, from 1 st  December 2025, the ACAS Early Conciliation period has been formally extended from six to twelve weeks, following regulations laid before Parliament on 4 th November 2025. This change comes amid rising demand for conciliation services and growing delays - currently ave

Overview The Government intends to reduce the unfair dismissal qualifying period from 2 years to 6 months under the Employment Rights Bill. It is also considering removing the caps on unfair dismissal compensation. While the Bill is still progressing, employers should plan on the basis that these changes are likely, although as yet we are not sure when. For SMEs, where Management resources are stretched, this significantly increases the early-stage risk of Tribunal action. An

Sexual harassment is a difficult issue for any workplace, but ignoring it is never an option. Since October last year, it has become a proactive duty for employers to prevent sexual harassment, rather than the previous duty, which was to react to such harassment when it happened. So how do we reckon employers are doing one year on? Well, probably not as well as they could is the short answer. Remember the legislation was introduced by the previous Government, with the aim of

It is now estimated that 1 in 7 people within the UK population are probably neurodiverse. Consequently, it is perhaps no surprise that...

If your business has offices, clients, or colleagues in Europe, you will want to be aware of an important change in UK travel rules that...

New laws on Sexual Harassment came into force last October, and the Government has threatened to tighten these even further, with the...

Since the Supreme Court ruling in April that changed the narrative over gender issues, the Courts have not had a chance to consider how...

The True Cost of Getting Right to Work Checks Wrong In July 2025, a fish and chip shop owner was left in “total shock” after being hit...

Everybody tells us that AI is going to replace many of the roles and functions currently carried out by real people. And in some areas...

Commentary The new Employment Rights Bill marks the most significant overhaul of workplace law in a generation, reflecting the...

The Supreme Court recently delivered its verdict on the rights of women and men, and the implications of biological sex and gender. And,...

TUPE situations can be complicated and involved. Not to mention stressful and uncertain for everyone they affect. But what happens when...

Pensions have become a significant extra cost for some employers, and an important benefit for many employees. But they are often set up...

The Court of Appeal’s decision in Hewston v Ofsted  offers valuable guidance for employers handling conduct-related dismissals. What...

We meet SME employers every day. And we are regularly surprised at how often their contractual documentation has not been looked at for...

Over the past 10 years, there has been an increasing awareness of the effects of stress, unhappiness and genuine mental illness at work....

The law on Public/Bank Holidays    All employees are entitled to a set number of days off work each year by way of paid leave. The...

A recent case is almost a text book example of how not to deal with a pregnant employee. And how to make sure your case is undefendable...

One of our clients recently asked: “If I’m using agency workers, do I need to worry about record-keeping, or is that entirely up to the...

We have all seen big Tribunal awards, and sometimes employers seem to get punished even further by causing injury to feelings. And, many...