Labour & Employment UK Webinar Programme 2026

Employers will need to consider any new hires (especially senior ones) carefully given the decrease in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from two years to six months, and the removal of the compensation cap. We will discuss key issues to consider when managing new recruits (including performance management), as well as best practice tips and practical insight on how you can improve your contracts of employment to ensure they put your business in the strongest position in any dismissal situation.

The removal of the cap on the unfair dismissal compensatory award will have significant consequences for employers of high earners, as they will no longer be able to agree on exits without following due process safe in the knowledge that any losses in the Employment Tribunal (absent a discrimination or whistleblowing angle to the claim) will be limited at the cap, so keeping any settlement discussions reasonable. We will explore the key legal, practical, regulatory and tactical issues for employers to consider when seeking to dismiss senior employees going forward.

Whether your business is looking to make a discrete change to employees’ contracts of employment or varying terms as part of a wider reorganisation exercise, the way in which you approach the task is vital. We will discuss the key issues to consider when changing terms and conditions of employment, including the new restrictions on the ability of employers to change terms and conditions via the “dismissal and reengagement” route under the Employment Rights Act 2025, which are due to come into force in January 2027.

The new state enforcement body, the Fair Work Agency (FWA), will have new powers to inspect workplaces, issue fines and bring proceedings in the Employment Tribunal on behalf of workers. We will discuss the FWA’s new powers, the implications for employers and the steps they should be taking now to ensure they do not appear on the FWA’s radar.

We will consider the key legal, practical and strategic issues to consider when managing large-scale redundancies, including the important changes to the collective consultation regime that are expected to come into force in 2027.