Preparing for the new 6-month unfair dismissal
Delivered by Bhayani Law, trusted specialists in HR and employment law, working side by side with employers to deliver practical, compliant solutions for today’s workplaces.
With the qualifying period for unfair dismissal reducing to six months from 2027, employers are facing a fundamental shift in how quickly legal risk can arise when performance issues emerge.
This change places far greater emphasis on how performance is managed from the very start of employment. Early decisions, informal conversations and probation management will carry increased weight, and mistakes made in the first few months may be far harder to defend.
This session focuses on how employers can manage poor performance lawfully, fairly and commercially from day one, without lowering standards or compromising business needs.
Why join us?
This HR Exchange session provides a practical overview of how the new unfair dismissal regime will affect performance management in real workplaces.
Drawing on our experience supporting employers across a range of sectors, we will explore where organisations are most exposed, how traditional approaches to probation and capability need to evolve, and what tribunals are likely to expect once the reduced qualifying period comes into force.
This session is not about over-engineering performance management. It is designed to help you understand what good looks like, avoid early missteps, and put proportionate, defensible processes in place ahead of the 2027 changes.
What we’ll cover:
- What the reduced qualifying period means in practice
A clear explanation of the new six-month unfair dismissal regime and its practical impact on employers. - Managing poor performance from day one
How to approach performance issues lawfully and fairly from the start of employment. - Using probation effectively as a risk-management tool
Making probation meaningful, structured and defensible. - From probation to capability
Knowing when and how to move into formal performance management processes. - The importance of objectives, feedback and documentation
Why clear expectations and contemporaneous records will matter more than ever. - Maintaining standards while reducing risk
Balancing performance expectations with legal compliance under the new rules.
Cost and delivery
- Free of charge
- Wednesday 20 May 2026 | 12.00 – 13.00
- Delivered live via Zoom
- Recording provided to all registrants
Ask our experts
Have a question you’d like covered?
Email [email protected] when you sign up and we’ll aim to address as many questions as possible during the session.
Watertight clients will receive priority access to the session.
