ACAS has published a draft new Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures for public consultation. This is a very important document, and the first full rewrite since 2009; although the Code was last updated in 2015, with minor adjustments. The consultation runs until 23rd September 2026, and ACAS has been clear that it wants to hear from employers and HR practitioners, not just lawyers and trade union bodies. It would be a good time to make your voice heard, a

Key changes under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, effective 19th June 2026 As if employers did not have enough to worry about with all of the new employment law changes, they need to take into account new data protection duties as well. New legislation means that from 19th June 2026, employers must have a formal process for handling employees' data protection complaints - and must update their privacy notices to reflect this. This is not just good practice; it is now a le

Six months may well feel a long time away, Christmas certainly does. But for employers the next six months are very important, especially if you have staff you are not sure about, and who have joined you in the last 18 months. Because from 1st January next year, employees will only need six months' continuous service to bring an unfair dismissal claim. This replaces the current two-year qualifying period, and will affect the vast majority of employers in Great Britain. The ch

The Met office has issued high temperature warnings peaking mid-week, with the South and Central parts of Britain experiencing a significant heatwave (reaching 35°C to 38°C). While this week's extreme heat will have completely subsided by the weekend, the South and East will remain warmer than the rest of the country into next week as well. Highs will sit comfortably between 25°C and 26°C with sunny spells. This means consideration needs to be given to how this heat affects

From 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims drops from two years to six months - and the compensation cap disappears. If you are hiring now, the clock is already ticking. And in reality, any employee hired since January 2025 is affected, as their employment will be less than 2 years by the time this comes into effect. So, they qualify from that date if you dismiss them unfairly. The Change - and why it matters right now 1st January 2027 is important

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is coming into force in phases from 2026 onwards. Many smaller employers have yet to update their contracts - and the consequences of delay are now very real. If you are one of our clients, you can relax as we are doing much of the heavy lifting for you. If you are not and need some help, however, pick up the phone and let’s see how we can help. Why This Can't Wait If you have not reviewed your employment contracts recently, they probably contai

We recently learnt of a situation where an employer made a verbal offer to a short-listed candidate at the end of their interview, and in front of others present, only to withdraw the offer two days later. This was because the appointing Manager was subsequently informed that Senior Management had now decided to save money by not replacing the vacancy that they had just filled!! This decision was clearly not the applicant’s fault, who had meanwhile tendered their resignation

As Bring your Cat to Work Day approaches on 22nd June and is swiftly followed by Bring Your Dog to Work Day on 26th June, we wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts with our clients. Many of you already know that our team has a well-earned reputation for being a group of genuine animal lovers, so it's a date that certainly brings a few smiles to our faces. The idea behind the days is a great one. Welcoming animals into the workplace can boost morale, encourage social i

Scarcely believable we know, but with less than a week to go, the Government has finally published the enabling regulations that confirm the Statutory Sick Pay changes coming into force on 6 th April 2026. The Employment Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026 remove any remaining uncertainty about what is changing and when - and for small employers, the time to act is now. What's Actually Changing? Three significant reforms take eff

The modern workplace includes people who think, communicate and behave in different ways. In reality, it probably always has done, but increasingly dissatisfied employees are looking to the Courts to redress perceived or real poor treatment at the hands of employers. It is now estimated that 1 in 100 adults may be neurodivergent, yet only around 21.7% to 32% of autistic adults in the UK are in some form of paid employment, representing the lowest employment rate among all di

We all love a Public/Bank holiday, don’t we? Unless you are in the Payroll Department of course, when the holiday year is April to March, and Easter jumps around between April and March. For the holiday year of April to March of 2026/27, the reality is that there are 2 sets of Easter Public/Bank holidays within the same holiday entitlement. How do you deal with this? The Law on Public/Bank Holidays All employees are entitled to a set number of days off work each year by way

When this Government set out on their journey, they were ambitious in the scale of the changes they wanted to make to the employment relationship, but reassured us all that there would be lots of consultation. They said the same to the House of Lords. However, last week, they quietly released an update with potentially significant consequences for employers. With little fanfare, an Unfair Dismissal Factsheet was added to the Employment Rights Act 2025 webpage. It revealed two

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...