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How the New 6-Month Unfair Dismissal Time Limit Affects Employers: What You Need to Know!
From 1st January 2027, the qualifying period for employees to bring an unfair dismissal claim will reduce from two years to just six months. Many employers are not yet aware of this significant change, which could have costly consequences if not addressed in time. How the 6 months new 6 month rule will potentially trip up employers Most employers currently operate on the understanding that dismissing an employee within their first two years carries minimal risk of an unfair dismissal claim. As a result, it is common practice to set probation periods at six months, for example, or to extend a three-month probation to six months, believing they have more than 6 months in which to take action, or they inadvertently miss the deadline to serve notice to terminate before the end of the 6 month. How the unfair dismissal time limit could cost you money! If employers do not update their knowledge and practices, they [...]
The Fair Work Agency
The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025, making it law after more than a year of parliamentary debate. The Act introduces phased UK employment reforms with major updates from 6 April 2026. These updates change the rules for statutory sick pay (SSP), parental rights, dismissal rules, and enforcement through a new regulator. One of these changes is the introduction of the Fair Work Agency which is a new enforcement body effective from 7 April 2026. It is a single point of contact and is responsible for the enforcement of employment rights, such as the National Minimum Wage, holiday pay and agency worker protections all together under one Agency. The Agency is given considerable powers which include the ability to carry out workplace inspections. Accordingly, employers need to ensure that their records and compliance are in good order. If you are an employee or employer seeking advice on the changes the [...]
Parental leave rights, including paternity and shared parental leave
The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025, making it law after more than a year of parliamentary debate. The Act introduces phased UK employment reforms with major updates from 6 April 2026. These updates change the rules for statutory sick pay (SSP), parental rights, dismissal rules, and enforcement through a new regulator. However, changes such as the reduction of the unfair dismissal qualifying period is delayed until January 2027. Parental leave rights is the second of our updates for you! The immediate changes with effect from 6 April are: Parental Leave becomes a right from the first day of employment which means that the one-year qualifying service requirement is removed. Paternity Leave also becomes a right from the first day of employment so the 26 week qualifying service requirement is removed. However, statutory paternity pay (SPP) remains subject to its existing qualifying conditions, including 26 weeks’ Employees will be able [...]
New Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025, making it law after more than a year of parliamentary debate. The Act introduces phased UK employment reforms with major updates from 6 April 2026. These updates change the rules for statutory sick pay (SSP), parental rights, dismissal rules, and enforcement through a new regulator. However, changes such as the reduction of the unfair dismissal qualifying period is delayed until January 2027. SSP is the first of our updates for you! The immediate changes with effect from 6 April are: Statutory Sick Pay starts from Day 1, previously the right to SSP commenced on the 4th day of sickness, so therefore the three day wait is now abolished The Lower Earnings Limit has been removed, the effect of this is to expand the eligibility to all workers regardless of earnings A new rule is introduced for low earners - 80% (flat rate or [...]
