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Why is July 2026 a key date for new employees?

Given the forthcoming changes to the qualifying service needed to claim unfair dismissal now is the time to schedule review dates for any employees joining your organisation from July onwards. This is because any employee who joins your business from July 2026 onwards is likely to have completed six months’ service by 1 January 2027. Subject to the Government’s planned employment law reforms coming into force as expected, employees who are still employed on that date will gain the right to claim unfair dismissal. That’s a huge change. Until now, employers have generally had two years before an employee gained unfair dismissal rights. While there have always been exceptions (for example, discrimination and whistleblowing claims), employers have had a relatively long period in which to decide whether a...