Practical HR guidance for UK small businesses.
Every employee in the UK is legally entitled to a written statement of employment particulars from day one — not just “nice to have,” a statutory requirement under the Employment Rights Act 1996. Here’s what needs to be in it, and what’s worth adding beyond the legal minimum. The legal minimum (written statement of particulars) […]
Read more →Knowing the key dates for the Employment Rights Act 2025 is one thing — working out what it actually means for how you run your business day-to-day is another. Several of the changes create genuine practical headaches, particularly for small and medium-sized employers without a large HR function to absorb them. Here’s where we think […]
Read more →The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent in December 2025 and is being described by government as the biggest overhaul of UK employment law in a generation. Rather than landing in one go, it’s being phased in across 2026 and 2027 — which makes it easy to lose track of what’s actually live right […]
Read more →Long-term sickness absence is one of the hardest things small employers deal with — it’s genuinely difficult for the employee, disruptive for the business, and legally sensitive if handled badly. Here’s a practical framework. Start with regular, supportive contact Stay in touch throughout the absence — not to chase someone back to work before they’re […]
Read more →A grievance is simply a formal complaint from an employee — about their treatment, a colleague’s conduct, their pay, or working conditions. How you handle it says a lot about your business, and getting it wrong can turn a manageable issue into a much bigger one, including a tribunal claim. What counts as a grievance? […]
Read more →Getting a disciplinary process wrong is one of the most common — and most expensive — mistakes small business owners make. Rush it, skip a step, or let a manager act as both investigator and decision-maker, and even a case with a fair outcome can end up unfair in the eyes of a tribunal. Here’s […]
Read more →Many small businesses operate for years on a handshake and good intentions — no written policies, just “how we do things.” That works fine right up until it doesn’t: a disciplinary situation goes wrong, an employee raises a grievance, or an employment tribunal claim lands, and there’s nothing in writing to show what was supposed […]
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