Retirement Procedure for Employers UK 2026 Guide
At a time when people are living longer, and with cost of living pressures pushing more to work beyond pensionable retirement age, employers may be looking for ways to facilitate a fuller working life for their employees, both before any decision has been made to retire, and in the run up to retirement where the […]
SOSR Dismissal: What Is Some Other Substantial Reason?
To dismiss an employee lawfully, an employer must show a fair reason for dismissal. Under section 98 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, there are five potentially fair reasons for dismissal: conduct, capability or performance, redundancy, breach of a statutory restriction or some other substantial reason (SOSR). An SOSR dismissal applies where the reason for […]
Written Statement of Employment Particulars
One of the fundamental employment rights in the UK is that employees and workers are provided with a written statement of employment particulars no later than the first day of employment. This requirement is set out in section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. The employer is required to give the principal statement on […]
AI Recruitment in 2026: GDPR & Discrimination Risks
Artificial intelligence is now embedded in many UK recruitment processes. From automated CV screening and candidate ranking to chatbot communication and predictive analytics, AI tools are reshaping how employers attract and assess talent. For HR professionals, the commercial appeal is clear: faster shortlisting, improved consistency and the ability to manage high application volumes without […]
Dismissing an Employee 2026: UK Law, Process & Risks
Dismissing an employee is one of the highest-risk decisions an employer can make. Even where there are genuine performance issues, misconduct concerns or commercial pressures on the business, the legal framework governing dismissal in the UK is tightly regulated and heavily scrutinised by employment tribunals. What often exposes employers to claims is not the decision […]
Social Media Screening UK: 2026 Employer Legal Guide
Social media screening has become an embedded but poorly governed part of modern recruitment. For many employers, checking a candidate’s online presence feels informal, low-risk and even prudent. In reality, it is one of the most legally exposed recruitment practices currently in use, precisely because it sits outside traditional, documented hiring controls. Unlike structured interviews, […]
Employee Handbook UK: Employers Guide 2026
An employee handbook sits at the intersection of employment law, operational control and risk management. While UK law does not explicitly require most employers to maintain a handbook, tribunals, regulators and ACAS routinely treat it as a central source of evidence when assessing how an employer manages people, enforces standards and complies with statutory duties. […]
Employee Onboarding UK 2026: Legal Duties & Risks
Employee onboarding is not an administrative formality. In UK law, it is a legally significant process that determines whether an employer has met core statutory obligations across UK employment law obligations, immigration compliance, tax, health and safety and data protection. Many of the most expensive and disruptive employment disputes can be traced back to decisions […]
Automatically Unfair Dismissal 2026 Explained | Meaning & Examples
British employment law draws a sharp distinction between ordinary unfair dismissal and dismissals that Parliament has treated as inherently unacceptable. Automatically unfair dismissal sits in the second category. It is not about whether the employer followed a textbook process or acted with good intentions. It is about whether the reason for dismissal falls within a […]
IR35 Changes 2026: What’s New, Who’s Affected & Next Steps
The IR35 changes have fundamentally altered how UK employers engage contractors and manage off-payroll working arrangements. While IR35 is a tax regime rather than an employment law framework, the reforms now sit squarely within the remit of HR, finance and senior leadership, carrying material compliance, cost and reputational risk for businesses that get them wrong. […]