The government has now confirmed the changes to unfair dismissal rights reducing the qualifying period from two years to six months, effective January 1, 2027. You should be aware that this will apply to any new employees commencing employment with you from 1 July 2026. The cap has also been removed on compensatory awards which means
In our 3rd and final series of ‘Predictions for 2026’, here is a summary of the key workforce trends: AI and Automation 2026 will see the shift from testing AI to embedding it in the workplace, with smart systems managing workflows and supporting human performance. AI ‘agents’ are expected to replace thousands of jobs, particularly in software engineering, but
In our 2nd post on Predictions for 2026, we’re looking at: Multigenerational Workforces As employers you will potentially now need to manage a workforce spanning five generations with diverse needs. With longer working lives, employers must address the needs of older employees through phased retirement options, mentoring programmes, and workplace accommodations. Retaining experienced workers can provide
Welcome to the first of our ‘Predictions’ bulletins for 2026. In 2026, UK employers will face a challenging labour market marked by high employee turnover, a skills gap in tech and green energy, and pressure to adapt to a multigenerational workforce. Key predictions include a potential "mass employee exodus" driven by dissatisfaction with pay and leadership, and the
Between July 2024 and May 2025, UK immigration enforcement teams carried out 9,000 raids, 48 per cent more than the year before. These raids resulted in 6,410 arrests, an increase of 51 per cent from the previous year. In August, the Home Office committed a £5m funding boost for immigration enforcement teams to “ramp up
October is ADHD Awareness Month. But beyond this, awareness of ADHD has been growing steadily for the past few years as more people are either being diagnosed with the condition or identifying that they may have it. As employers you should expect to have employees with the condition in your teams, and it’s important that
Nearly 500 employers have been fined more than £10m by HMRC for failing to pay the national minimum wage to their employees. The penalties come as part of the government effort to send a “clear message” that it will not tolerate companies that “shortchange their workers”. Around 42,000 employees will be reimbursed a combined £6m
In September 2025, the Government announced a plan to introduce a requirement for all workers to be able to produce a digital ID to demonstrate their right to work in the UK. The scheme is intended to combat illegal working. The Prime Minister confirmed that digital IDs will be mandatory as a means of proving
Usually, an employment relationship ends because the employee resigns to go to another job or retires. But sometimes it ends because of dismissal or redundancy. With A.I. in the mix, we have new twists on both the reason for discipline or dismissal (such as an employee misusing A.I. tools) and the process of dismissal (such
Is using an A.I. detector lawful? It’s 100% legal to use A.I. tools for shortlisting. Using a tool like GPTZero is lawful if you treat its analysis as one piece of evidence, you stay transparent, you keep a human in the loop, and you audit for bias. Problems arise when the detector becomes a ‘black-box
