If you have an employee who’s breastfeeding or expressing milk at work, you have legal obligations. Many small business owners have no idea what they are. But a small, accidental slip up could land you in hot water. You could be looking at discrimination and harassment claims, with potentially uncapped financial damages if a case […]
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 […]
Every summer, the requests start coming in. “Can I work from home on Fridays while the kids are off?” “Would it be okay to shift my start time for six weeks?” “I was thinking about dropping Wednesdays during the holidays…” It’s tempting to say yes without thinking it through. Many business owners also say no […]
A local HR expert is warning business owners that a major employment law change coming into force on 1 January 2027 will begin affecting hiring decisions from this summer. Under the new rules, employees hired on or after 1 July 2026 could gain the right to claim unfair dismissal after just six months of service, […]
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 […]
Does the thought of all those overlapping summer leave requests give you a feeling of dread? You’re not alone I hear it all the time from business owners. Most don’t have a process in place for deciding who gets approved and who doesn’t, which causes anxiety and confusion. The last thing you want to do […]
Short answer: yes, you can. But from 1 January 2027, the way you do it has to be different. And, if you get the process wrong, it could cost you. The Employment Rights Act is reducing the unfair dismissal qualifying period from 2 years to 6 months. Anyone you hire from 1 July 2026 will […]
The 1 July countdown: are you ready for 6-month dismissal rights? If you’re hiring right now, there’s a date you need to have on your radar. Anyone you hire on or before 1 July 2026 will gain unfair dismissal protection on 1 January 2027. Anyone hired after that date will gain it once they’ve been […]
