Employment tribunal claims are rising, awards are growing, and the Employment Rights Act is about to make more employees eligible to sue from day one. This guide draws on real tribunal decisions to show exactly where employers go wrong — and what to do before a claim is ever issued.
What you’ll learn:
- How unfair dismissal claims actually unfold — how routine management calls like rushed exits, poorly documented grievances and “loss of trust” dismissals turn into costly legal disputes
- Where whistleblowing and retaliation risk is hiding — what separates employers who successfully defend protected disclosure claims from those who don’t
- Staff networks, harassment and third-party liability — how tribunals assess employer liability for harassment originating within staff networks, from external speakers, or through policy design
- Disability, pregnancy and protected belief — what adequate reasonable adjustments, pregnancy protections and gender-critical belief policies actually look like in practice, through recent case law
- A ten-point checklist to reduce tribunal exposure — actionable steps across policies, manager training, documentation and culture
The cost of not being prepared: From 2027, employees gain unfair dismissal protection after just six months, and the cap on compensation is being removed. Average tribunal awards already reach £45,435 for disability claims and £37,607 for sex discrimination — and that’s before legal defence costs of up to £30,000 per claim. Employers without robust processes in place face serious and growing financial exposure.