3 min read

About This Webinar

Three UK employment law changes are landing in quick succession this autumn and winter. On 1 October, the time limit for bringing most employment tribunal claims doubled from three months to six. On 30 October, employers become liable for harassment of employees by third parties where they’ve failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent it, and the existing duty to prevent sexual harassment gets stronger. Then on 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal drops from two years to six months, and the cap on compensatory awards is removed, with no phase-in.

All three point to the same problem: employers need to be much better at documenting what happened, what managers did about it, and when.

In this session, Will Cleare, Colin Barnett and Claire Spencer from The HR Agency will cover what UK employers should be doing right now on probation, performance, manager capability and restructuring, so you’re ready before the qualifying period drops in January. This is a practical, knowledge-first session with live Q&A throughout, not a sales pitch.

Who This Webinar Is For

HR leaders, people managers and business owners in UK companies, and any organisation that employs staff in the UK, wherever your head office sits.

Meet Your Speakers

Colin Barnett

Consultant, The HR Agency
Employer brand and recruitment strategy

Bringing 30+ years of experience, Colin partners with organisations to develop their recruitment strategy and employer brand, creating a compelling proposition that attracts, excites and engages potential employees, in line with the business’s development strategy. This sees him working across the entire candidate to employee lifecycle, from clarifying recruitment market positioning, salary and benefits competitiveness, and how to target both active and passive candidates, through to compelling advert copy, a clear call to action and an engaging candidate experience right through to offer, and a comprehensive onboarding and early days induction experience aligned to the employer brand promise.

Will Cleare

Principal Consultant, The HR Agency
People strategy and Fractional HRD

Will founded The HR Agency in November 2020, having spent two decades building a career from the ground up, from Training Coordinator to HR Director. That journey has always been driven by the same passion: helping unlock potential, whether for individuals or organisations. He has a wealth of experience partnering with and advising CEOs, business leaders and executive stakeholders to deliver positive results through their people.

Claire Spencer

Consultant, The HR Agency
Redundancy and restructuring

Whilst Claire is a HR generalist, her specialism, and real passion, lies in redundancy and restructuring. Claire knows how challenging these processes can be, and she’s seen the difference when they’re handled well versus when they’re not. What matters most is combining a commercially minded approach with clarity, compassion and compliance. Claire helps business leaders and HR teams navigate change with confidence, protecting both their people and their reputation. As an accredited career coach and mediator, Claire supports organisations and individuals through challenging transitions, ensuring outcomes that are fair, balanced and sustainable.

About The HR Agency

People on purpose.

The HR Agency is a UK-based consultancy working with SMEs, typically businesses with 10 to 100 employees. Whether it’s people strategy, leadership development, evolving a performance culture, employee relations, change programmes or other operational projects, The HR Agency helps business leaders see where things are strong, where they’re fragile, and what to fix first.

The consultancy operates through a network of Associate experts, each bringing deep specialism across:

The work is practical and grounded in how organisations actually operate, with consultants who work as part of your team.