Business
without
bullsh-t
“Candid, no-nonsense conversations about the world of business, minus the jargon.”
EP 413 - The UK’s new Employment Rights Act is being framed as a major step forward for workers.
But what happens when stronger protections collide with the realities of hiring, risk, and running a business?
In this episode, we sit down with leading employment lawyers to unpack the biggest changes: from the reduction in unfair dismissal thresholds to new restrictions on “fire and rehire,” and longer tribunal timelines.
For large corporations, these shifts may be manageable.
For SMEs - which create the majority of UK jobs - the implications could be far more significant.
We explore the unintended consequences of well-meaning policy:
- Will businesses become more cautious about hiring?
- Does reducing flexibility increase risk?
- And could this ultimately impact job creation?
This is a grounded, practical conversation about how employment law works in the real world and what both employers and employees need to understand as the rules change.
Chapters:
00:00 New Rights - Big Risks
01:51 Meet Oury Clark's Employment Law Experts
02:07 Is It Good or Bad
03:15 Why This Act Exists
04:45 Top Changes Overview
05:03 Unfair Dismissal Cut
06:17 Tribunal Deadlines Extended
07:20 Sexual Harassment Duties
08:40 Fire and Rehire Ban
10:48 Redundancy Rules Tighten
12:21 Fair Work Agency Powers
13:23 April Changes Rundown
14:50 Unfair Dismissal Deep Dive
17:36 Hiring Gets Harder
19:44 Contracting and EOR Rise
28:34 Tribunals Backlog and ACAS
32:03 AI Fuels More Claims
36:59 Compensation Cap Removed
42:09 Any Upsides to Reform
44:25 Fire and Rehire Explained
45:12 Fire and Rehire Basics
46:04 Five Fair Dismissal Reasons
46:57 SOSR and Business Change
50:38 New Rules and Restricted Variations
53:23 Tribunals and Enforcement Delays
54:42 Performance Management Reality
56:47 Protected Conversations Explained
01:01:21 SSP Changes and Sickness Absence
01:05:20 Occupational Health and Return Plans
01:07:57 Sexual Harassment Duties Expand
01:14:51 Practical Steps Before April
01:19:14 Growth Concerns and Global Competition
01:24:29 Myths Rapid Fire
01:25:45 Final Thanks and Sign Off
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"Having a dog in the office increases productivity"
"Having a dog in the office increases productivity"
Business
Bulls-t
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“We are looking at a bridging round of funding”
Translation:
I’m staring at the bank balance and we have literally run out of money.
BWB Explains: A bridging round is a quick injection of cash to tide you over in terms of cash until you close your next round of fundraising. See also “Burn Rate” and “Runway”
Meet our team…
By day partners in Oury Clark, a pioneering UK professional services firm, by night (well early evening usually) podcast hosts extraordinaire. Lawyers and Accountants, but not as you know them.
