Business Without BS The Real Impact of the Employment Rights Act
EP 413 - The UK’s new Employment Rights Act is being framed as a major step forward for workers.
But what happens when stronger protections collide with the realities of hiring, risk, and running a business?
In this episode, we sit down with leading employment lawyers to unpack the biggest changes: from the reduction in unfair dismissal thresholds to new restrictions on “fire and rehire,” and longer tribunal timelines.
For large corporations, these shifts may be manageable.
For SMEs - which create the majority of UK jobs - the implications could be far more significant.
We explore the unintended consequences of well-meaning policy:
Will businesses become more cautious about hiring?
Does reducing flexibility increase risk?
And could this ultimately impact job creation?
This is a grounded, practical conversation about how employment law works in the real world and what both employers and employees need to understand as the rules change.
Chapters:
00:00 New Rights - Big Risks
01:51 Meet Oury Clark's Employment Law Experts
02:07 Is It Good or Bad
03:15 Why This Act Exists
04:45 Top Changes Overview
05:03 Unfair Dismissal Cut
06:17 Tribunal Deadlines Extended
07:20 Sexual Harassment Duties
08:40 Fire and Rehire Ban
10:48 Redundancy Rules Tighten
12:21 Fair Work Agency Powers
13:23 April Changes Rundown
14:50 Unfair Dismissal Deep Dive
17:36 Hiring Gets Harder
19:44 Contracting and EOR Rise
28:34 Tribunals Backlog and ACAS
32:03 AI Fuels More Claims
36:59 Compensation Cap Removed
42:09 Any Upsides to Reform
44:25 Fire and Rehire Explained
45:12 Fire and Rehire Basics
46:04 Five Fair Dismissal Reasons
46:57 SOSR and Business Change
50:38 New Rules and Restricted Variations
53:23 Tribunals and Enforcement Delays
54:42 Performance Management Reality
56:47 Protected Conversations Explained
01:01:21 SSP Changes and Sickness Absence
01:05:20 Occupational Health and Return Plans
01:07:57 Sexual Harassment Duties Expand
01:14:51 Practical Steps Before April
01:19:14 Growth Concerns and Global Competition
01:24:29 Myths Rapid Fire
01:25:45 Final Thanks and Sign Off
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