Government announces unfair dismissal rights climb-down

The government has announced that it is pulling back from one of the key parts of the Employment Rights Bill, in the shape of day one entitlement to unfair dismissal rights.

This part of the bill would have eliminated the qualifying period for unfair dismissal rights, so that workers were entitled to it from the moment they started a job. The current qualifying period is two years, but the government is now proposing to cut that down to six months. It is a change that has been made in the wake of discussions with both business organisations and trade unions.

While it is viewed as a compromise on one of the Employment Rights Bill proposals that proved particularly controversial, it has been greeted with a mixed reception. Simon Fowler from Empowering People Group said that both management training and HR transformation would be needed to cope with the shorter six-month window.

HR transformation is something offered by outsourced HR services in Bedfordshire. Consultancies of that kind may therefore see an uptick in demand, as a result of this.

Speaking to HR Magazine, Fowler went on to say that:

“The removal of the two-year ‘easy dismissal’ buffer means the window for a ‘right fit’ assessment has shrunk dramatically, and it will hit the already-strained employment tribunal system hard.”

Both Fowler and Rena Magdani from the Freeths legal firm said that getting recruitment right will be more important than ever for companies. Fowler added that effective inductions and processes for probation would help to reduce the level of risk for businesses.