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