Dismissing employees is getting much more risky for business owners in the UK. Recent changes in the law mean that you can't just let someone go and assume that everything will be okay. It's easier (and therefore more likely) that an employee will claim that they were let go unfairly and the amount they can claim will be uncapped from January 2027. Let's look at what's changing, how it affects you and what you need to do to keep your business safe. What's changing R

Interim HR support might be your most cost-effective HR option If you think HR support means hiring someone full-time or managing without because that's too expensive, think again. There's a middle option that a lot of businesses overlook. Interim HR support has been growing as a solution for businesses that need real expertise for a specific period. Maybe for a restructure, a complex people issue or for getting ahead of Employment Rights Act changes. The appeal is straightfo

There’s a big employment law change being enforced on 1 January 2027 that will affect every hire you make on and after 1 July this year. Anyone you hire on or after 1 July 2026 could gain the right to claim unfair dismissal after just six months of service (down from two years). What this actually changes You no longer have two years as a buffer and the risk of dismissing someone and getting sued for unfair dismissal has dramatically increased. If something goes wron

With summer here, more of your employees will be off on holiday than usual. If you're only a team of ten, two people off at the same time is 20% of your workforce. That can really hit hard if you haven't planned properly for it. What does planning properly look like? Let's take a look. Map your dependencies before anyone goes anywhere Before the holidays kick in, work out who owns what and what happens when they're gone. For each person, ask: What can't wait while t

An engineering worker was awarded £66,295 plus £1,800 costs after his employer dismissed him for raising concerns about his manager's competence (read the full judgment). The employer thought they had a reasonable case. The tribunal thought otherwise. And, from January 2027, cases like this are about to get a lot more expensive. Here's what happened and what it means for you. "Obstructive and unsupportive" Andrew Estcourt was a chief engineer who repeatedly raised concerns th

From October, if one of your employees makes a harassment claim, a policy alone won't cut it. I know you might think a policy stored away somewhere is enough. But, with the rule changes, you must be able to evidence how you took all reasonable steps to prevent harassment in your workplace. A quick look at the timeline • Pre-2023: Equality Act 2010 meant that employers generally had a defence so long as they could point to a policy they had in place. • 2024: The Worker Protect