enlighten HR

21/10/2026

Next Wednesday (Wednesday 28 October 2026, between 12-1pm) we have our free, jargon-free Lunch and Learn webinar about all the changes in employment law. This is designed purely for SME business owners, directors and managers.

If you would like to find out more or register, please visit our website or email April at [email protected]

19/10/2026

October is Speak Up Month and we want to ask you one question...

Single tribunal claims are up 39% year on year. 64,000 individual cases are open and waiting.

More than half a million claims are in the system right now.

Many of those cases started the same way, someone had a problem at work, did not feel safe raising it and the issue grew until it became formal.

A speak-up culture is about your employees genuinely believing that raising a concern early will not be held against them. That takes deliberate, repeated action from the people who run the business.

This month feels like a good time to ask the honest question: if one of your team had a problem today, would they come to you with it?

We have a free guide on our website if you would like to find out more and are always available for a friendly chat. Send us a message or email us at [email protected]

16/10/2026

TWO of our team are finalists in the Devon Women in Business awards 🥳

We're so proud of Holly Mapstone who is a finalist for the Director of the Year category and Ian Banister who is a finalist for the Unsung Hero of the Year category!

This is a fantastic achievement and recognition of the hard work, dedication and contribution they both make to enlightenHR - and so do the rest of the team!

Good luck to all the finalists and we look forward to see everyone at the Awards dinner on Friday 20th November.

15/10/2026

Understanding the extended tribunal time limit...

From 1 October 2026, the time limit for most employment tribunal claims doubled from three months to six months. Every dismissal, disciplinary, grievance outcome and management decision you make from that date gives the employee twice as long to decide whether to bring a claim.

If you have been working on the assumption that a quiet period after a dismissal means the matter is closed, that assumption needs to change. Our free guide, on our website, explains exactly what has changed, which claims are affected and what your processes need to look like from here.

14/10/2026

Alison and Holly are in London today at the UKGI Compliance Group conference, soaking up practical compliance insights, the latest FCA updates and what regulatory expectations are looking like ahead.

As the UKGI Compliance HR partner, we ensure we stay up to date with their legislations to ensure we provide the best advice for their business and associates. It's great to be a part of the team for these insurance professionals.

12/10/2026

Well done to our amazing Holly Mapstone for completing the Run Bournemouth half marathon yesterday in aid of Stan Bowley Trust 🥳

We’re super proud of Holly’s charity work and how she manages to train while supporting us and our clients! 👏

BNI Brunel

08/10/2026

A question we get asked regularly: "Do I really need to write all of this down?" Yes, and here is why.

Documentation is the single biggest factor in successfully defending a tribunal claim. If you cannot show what happened and why, six months after the event, you can lose the claim on the paperwork alone.

That is not an exaggeration. That is how these cases go.

A short factual note made at the time, with the date, who was present, what was discussed and what was agreed, is enough. The key is doing it consistently and doing it at the time, not weeks later from memory.

From October 2026, the window for a claim arriving is twice as wide. Your records need to be ready for that.

Please get in touch with us if you need any help or advice on [email protected]

07/10/2026

We are all set up and ready for everyone at Riviera Connect with our partner Your Payroll Manager UK

Who's coming down today?

05/10/2026

Employment law is going through one of its biggest periods of change in years.
Some of it has already happened. The tribunal time limit doubled on 1 October. The sexual harassment duty strengthened this month. And from January 2027, employees can bring unfair dismissal claims after just six months.

If you run a business with employees, this affects you. The question is whether you want to understand it now or scramble to catch up later.

We are hosting a free Lunch and Learn on Wednesday 28 October, 12:00 to 13:00, for business owners, directors and managers who want a clear, practical picture of what is changing and what to do about it.

We will cover the ERA 2025 reforms, the qualifying period change, tribunal time limits, flexible working, zero-hours rights, family-friendly updates and the practical steps you should be taking now. Plus a live Q&A.

Free to attend. No sales pitch. Just a useful hour.

Register here: https://enlightenhr.com/free-employment-law-webinar-28th-october/

Join enlightenHR on 28 October for a free, jargon-free webinar on the Employment Rights Act 2025 and what it means for your business. Register for free.

01/10/2026

Most employers have stayed out of trouble on holiday pay for one reason: individual workers rarely bother to claim.

The Fair Work Agency is about to change that.

From next year it can inspect your entire workforce, not just respond to one complaint. Penalties of up to £20,000 per worker. And a window to fix things quietly before an investigation starts.

We have written a plain-English guide on what to check, where the errors usually are, and why sorting this autumn costs a lot less than leaving it.

Read our latest HR Advice article: "Holiday Pay and the Fair Work Agency" Your local HR consultants in Bristol, Bath and Torquay