Expert Opinion...
The 2-Year Buffer Is Gone. Here's What Every Employer Needs To Know Before 1st July.
From 1 January 2027, anyone you hire can bring an unfair dismissal claim after just 6 months. This free guide walks you through what's changing, what's at risk and exactly what to put in place before the deadline. Download your free guide now.
Download Your 100% Free Guide!
No tricks, gimmicks or anything of the sorts! Just a good old fashion guide to support you and your business!
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Here's What's Included...
1. What's Actually Changing And When
The qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims drops from 2 years to 6 months. Anyone hired from 1 July onwards is affected. The first claims could land as early as January 2027.
2. Onboarding That Protects You
What every new starter must receive from day 1 and why a tribunal will want to see it if a claim is ever brought.
3. A Probation Process That Actually Works
Why a contract clause with no review structure behind it isn't enough under the new rules, and what a defensible probation process looks like.
4. Performance Management From Day 1
How to ensure your managers are documenting conversations and feedback properly — before problems escalate, not after.
5. Your Pre-1 July Action List
A clear, practical checklist covering hiring, probation, documentation, manager training and contracts.
6. What It Actually Costs When It Goes Wrong
The real numbers: average tribunal awards, settlement costs and why the headline figures massively understate the true cost of a single claim.
About the Author
Mike Markham has spent nearly two decades working alongside business owners and managers who are trying to do the right thing by their people, but often feel like the system isn't designed to help them do it.
Employment law exists for good reason. It protects employees, and rightly so. But it can leave employers feeling exposed, uncertain and reactive when dealing with issues they didn't see coming, without the knowledge or tools to handle them confidently.
That's the gap Cavell was built to close.
We work with business owners to give them the same clarity, structure and confidence that larger organisations take for granted without the jargon, the complexity or the cost of getting it wrong. Not to work against their people, but to create workplaces where expectations are clear, conversations happen early and problems don't escalate unnecessarily.
Because when employers are informed and prepared, everyone benefits.
Why are we giving this away for free?
The Employment Rights Act changes are already in motion. Most business owners we speak to know something is happening, but they're just not sure what it means for their business specifically.
The same gaps come up again and again:
- Probation processes that are just a contract clause with no review structure behind them
- Managers with no record of the conversations they've had or the feedback they've given
- Onboarding with nothing written down to show a new hire was given a fair chance to succeed
- Contracts that haven't been looked at since the law last changed
This guide gives you a clear picture of what's changing, what's at risk and what needs to be in place before 1 July. It's built from nearly two decades of working directly with business owners through exactly these kinds of legal shifts.
We share it openly because businesses that prepare now avoid the claims that are coming. Employment tribunal claims are already up 54% year-on-year and the new rules haven't even taken effect yet.
If it helps you identify one gap, have one conversation with your managers you've been putting off, or update one process before the deadline, it's done its job. And if you'd like support working through it properly, we're here when you're ready.
Cavell (Southern) Ltd - All Rights Reserved - All Wrongs Reversed
Cavell HR
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E: info@cavellhr.co.uk
