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- Type:
- FAQs
The qualifying period for unfair dismissal decreases from two years to six months for dismissals with an effective date of termination on or after 1 January 2027. An employee will gain unfair dismissal rights after six months even if they have been absent ...
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- Type:
- Training
This training guide has been updated to reflect the impact of the reduction in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal to six months from 1 January 2027 under the Employment Rights Act 2025. This places an even greater importance on the role of line managers in structuring and managing probationary periods effectively.
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- Type:
- Employment law guide
The Government has published draft codes of practice on preventing illegal working and avoiding unlawful discrimination while preventing illegal working. The codes explain how the expanded right to work checks regime is expected to apply from 1 October 2026, including updated guidance on digital right to work checks.
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- Type:
- Editor's choice
Updated with information concerning the EU Pay Transparency hub.
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- Type:
- Legal timetable
The working arrangements that are subject to the illegal working regime are expanded by the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025.
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- Date:
- 8 June 2026
- Type:
- News
As immigration and sponsorship rules tighten and pay rates determine whether workers can be employed in the UK, a recently highlighted tribunal case has cast light on whether an employer can lawfully pay a sponsored worker more than a non-sponsored worker doing the same role.
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- Type:
- How to
The Employment Rights Act 2025 reduces the qualifying period for unfair dismissal to six months from 1 January 2027. Employers should consider the impact this will have on probationary periods and whether they need to implement any changes in time for the new rules. This guide has been updated to include guidance for employers on preparing for the reduced unfair dismissal qualifying period.
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- Date:
- 1 June 2026
- Type:
- Commentary and insights
HR professionals in the UK face some unique challenges and employment issues in the summer of 2026. These include increased uncertainty over workers' annual leave plans because of world events; public transport disruption leading to attendance issues; and a heatwave meaning that employers should monitor workplace temperatures to ensure that they do not become unreasonable. It is also a World Cup year, which brings its own specific problems around absence, holiday and conduct.
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- Date:
- 28 May 2026
- Type:
- News
Immigration law specialists have welcomed a u-turn on Home Office guidance requiring employers sponsoring migrant workers to conduct right-to-work checks on anyone they "directly engage". In the past three months there have been three updates to the Home Office guidance about whom sponsors should conduct right-to-work checks on - the latest, published on 20 May, could bring much relief to employers with licences to sponsor workers.
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- Type:
- How to
On 20 May 2026, the Home Office amended its guidance for sponsors, reversing previous guidance it had issued on 6 March 2026, which appeared to require sponsors to check the right to work of all workers they engage, including those they do not employ directly. The new guidance confirms that checks on workers who are not direct employees are currently only required if they are sponsored by the employer. The right to work check regime will extend to a broader category of workers from 1 October 2026.