This month we look at the backlog of tribunal claims, an important reminder to think about what you're trying to achieve whilst implementing policies and small businesses offered incentives to hire young people out of work.
New rights let staff and customers complain directly about their data
Since 19 June 2026, anyone can lodge a data protection complaint straight with the business holding their information, rather than going through the ICO first, under a new right created by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
ICO guidance sets out what's expected of businesses acting as data controllers: a visible way to submit a complaint, prompt acknowledgement, and a proper investigation followed by a response within a reasonable time. In practice, this means small business owners need a simple process ready to go rather than working one out from scratch when the first complaint lands on their desk from a member of staff, a customer or a supplier.
A named point of contact and a short written procedure now could avoid a much bigger headache, and unwanted attention from the regulator, later on.
Last month our articles focused on employee recognition through non-monetary rewards.
This month, look out for tips on how to successfully manage intergenerational teams.
The number of individual (single) employment tribunal claims waiting to be heard reached 64,000 by the end of March 2026, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures, a rise of 55% year on year.
Over the course of 2025/26 the tribunal service took in 50,000 new single claims but only closed around half that number, so the queue kept growing rather than shrinking, with roughly 15,000 fresh claims landing in the final quarter alone.
Unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and unpaid wages claims between them make up around half of everything coming through the door, so these remain the areas where a small business dispute is most likely to end up. A claim that reaches tribunal today means a longer, costlier wait than it would have a couple of years ago, so it pays to sort disputes out internally wherever you can, and get the paperwork right from the start.
Rigidly following an attendance policy without asking why someone keeps being off sick just cost a security services employer more than £45,000. A supervisor with over seven years' service had taken 55 days off across 21 months, covering everything from surgery to Covid-19 to joint pain, and had also mentioned she was dealing with anxiety and suspected arthritis.
Her manager dismissed her after misreading an occupational health report as ruling out any underlying condition altogether, and the tribunal found he'd applied the policy "for the sake of the policy" rather than thinking about what it was actually there to achieve.
The judge was critical that no one went back to occupational health, asked for a GP's input, or looked at alternatives to dismissal. It’s important to treat an absence policy as a starting point for a conversation, not an instruction to dismiss on autopilot.
Collective consultation isn't optional just because a business is going under, a recent tribunal decision confirms. A Norfolk print business that entered administration in 2025 made more than 20 staff redundant within a 90 day window, the legal trigger for a duty to consult employee representatives in advance, but no such consultation happened.
The tribunal ordered a protective award of 90 days' pay per employee (a penalty that has since doubled to 180 days under the Employment Rights Act).
The 20 employee threshold for collective consultation is easy to hit if redundancies are spread across a few weeks rather than announced all at once, and insolvency proceedings don't excuse skipping the process. Sorting out consultation properly from day one is far cheaper than a tribunal bill further down the line.
A new Youth Jobs Grant offers small businesses £3,000 for every unemployed 18 to 24 year old they hire who has been out of work for at least six months, plus £2,000 for each new apprentice aged 16 to 24. It is aimed at cutting youth unemployment and easing recruitment costs for smaller employers.
A government consultation on ending "one-sided flexibility" in zero hours and similar contracts closes on 25 August 2026. Businesses that rely on flexible or casual staff should watch for the outcome, as it could bring new rights to guaranteed hours and shift notice.
From 29 June 2026, a new provision of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 means employers can be held criminally liable where a senior manager commits an offence while acting within their real or apparent authority. This widens the circumstances in which a business could face prosecution over the actions of its leadership.
As we head further into July, I hope you're finding time to enjoy a little of what summer has to offer. Whether you're following the excitement of the football World Cup, enjoying the tennis at Wimbledon, or simply making the most of the lighter evenings, I hope you manage to take some time to recharge. As we know a rested team is often a happier and more productive one!
July is a particularly special month for me as face2FaceHR Milton Keynes celebrates its 10th birthday! It's hard to believe it's been ten years since I took the leap into running my own business. I'm incredibly grateful to every client, referrer, colleague and supporter who has been part of that journey. Thank you for your trust, your recommendations and for allowing me to be part of your businesses over the past decade, here's to the next ten years!
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Head office: face2faceHR Partners Ltd is a private limited company registered in England and Wales with registered number 08724846, Our registered office is Rycroft, School Road, Broughton, Cambridgeshire PE28 3AT
