I’ve been shouting about this for a while now, but with the Employment Rights Bill on the horizon, I need to say it again, louder this time:
Your managers need proper training. Not next month, not next year, now.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth – two-thirds of managers receive absolutely no training.
These people get promoted because they’re brilliant at the thing they do (making coffee, designing websites, looking after customers), but then they’re suddenly responsible for other humans with absolutely zero preparation.
It’s like putting someone in charge of a ship just because they’re good at swimming. Sure, there’s water involved in both activities, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll avoid a mutiny.
Then when we’re faced with team complaints or employees leaving in their droves, we wonder why things go wrong…
The real cost of untrained managers
We all know the saying “people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers.” I’m sure you have a story yourself that you can relate to. But the impact goes way beyond retention:
- Poor productivity (demotivated teams don’t exactly smash targets)
- Higher absence rates (stress takes its toll)
- Discrimination claims that could have been avoided (prevention beats tribunal!)
- Tribunals that cost £20k+ in legal fees alone
- Brand reputation damage (those Glassdoor reviews don’t disappear)
- Endless recruitment costs as you replace people who leave
If you’re sitting there nodding to yourself thinking you know how to avoid this, think again.
It’s easier than you think to end up at a tribunal or having to settle out of court with an ex-employee, and that’s not good for your business or your bank balance.
Here’s an example of a recent client in crisis who thought they did everything right:
A business owner once called me saying, “I’ve just sacked someone over the phone and now she’s taking me to tribunal.” When I asked why they fired someone over the phone, they replied, “I didn’t know I had to follow a process. Nobody told me.”
Then there was Jane (not her real name), who started in a sales office typing menus for events. What her manager didn’t know? Jane was dyslexic.
On day one, she overheard colleagues mocking another dyslexic employee, so she never had the courage to speak up about her own struggles. She made mistakes, no one asked why, and she failed her probation.
Later, she told HR that a couple of simple changes – like recording training sessions on a dictaphone and typing notes up at home – would have set her up for success. But no one took the time to ask.
Guess what? The tribunal doesn’t accept “I didn’t know” as a defence. And your business bank account certainly won’t thank you for the £30k+ hit (plus all those legal fees).
Setting yourself, and your team, up for success will help you prevent a trip to the tribunal (and a hefty bill to boot.)
The big employment law changes you need to know about
You may have heard about the Employment Rights Bill on LinkedIn or on the news, but you might not know what it is, what it means for you, or when it’s going to pass through the many layers of red tape.
So to remove the confusion and help you navigate this huge change that will affect your business, here’s one of the most important things you need to know:
Right now, employees need two years’ service before they can claim unfair dismissal. But the Employment Rights Bill is set to shake this up completely.
The Labour government is pushing for day-one unfair dismissal rights, and while we might not get exactly that, we’re likely to see a statutory probation period (possibly nine months) after which you’ll need to follow a full fair process to dismiss anyone.
And that’s what could land you, or your managers, in hot water. Let me translate what this means for you in practical terms:
Currently: If someone’s been with you for under two years, you can generally dismiss them without a formal process (so long as it’s not discriminatory).
Soon: Once they’ve completed their statutory probation period (likely 9 months max), you’ll need to follow a proper process with warnings, improvement plans, and evidence – even if they’ve only been with you for 10 months.
This means your probation period is about to become MUCH more important than it’s ever been.
No more waving people through probation because “we need the staff” (I hear this ALL the time). You’ll either need to be confident they’re right for the role, or address performance issues properly, following due process, during their probation.
And if you’re thinking, “I’ll just extend everyone’s probation to be safe,” that won’t work either – the statutory period will be the maximum allowed by law.
Now you know why this bill could land you in hot water, it’s now more important than ever to train your managers.
Why manager training is the answer
The good news? With properly trained managers, you can prevent a trip to the tribunal. Here’s what your managers need to know:
1. The basics of employment law
One of the common stumbling blocks I see employers or managers make is having a misunderstanding or severe lack of knowledge of the basics of employment law. This often includes:
- What discrimination actually looks like (hint: it’s not always obvious)
- The protected characteristics they need to be aware of
- How to handle situations like pregnancy announcements, disability disclosures, etc.
- What reasonable adjustments really mean (and why they matter)
Let me give you a real example: I had a client whose manager refused to put a pregnant employee on a training course because “she’d be on maternity leave soon anyway.” This is classic pregnancy discrimination! The manager had no idea they were breaking the law; they thought they were being practical.
Or the business owner who told an employee with Long COVID they “needed to pull themselves together” without realising Long COVID could be considered a disability requiring reasonable adjustments. These managers aren’t bad people, they just didn’t know what they didn’t know.
2. How to have proper 1:1s
Not just “how’s it going?” but structured, meaningful conversations that:
- Set clear expectations
- Provide regular, specific feedback (not just at formal reviews)
- Identify issues early before they become tribunal fodder
- Document key points (absolutely crucial if things go wrong later)
I’m constantly amazed at how many businesses don’t have proper 1:1s in place. The number of times I’ve been called in to help with an “underperforming” employee, only to discover they’ve never had any feedback about their performance until now? Too many to count!
3. How to train effectively
This is a massive one! I’ve been delivering “Train the Trainer” sessions with a couple of clients recently, and the lightbulb moments are brilliant:
“I’ve always trained people the way I like to be trained… no wonder it hasn’t worked!”
Everyone has different learning styles (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic). If your manager is throwing an SOP manual at a hands-on learner, that information is NEVER going to stick.
Take Alan (again, not his real name). His first day was spent battling IT just to get a login. No structured training. No support. Someone told him, “You’ve done this before, so you can just get on with it.” He quit within a week. That’s a completely preventable loss, and a waste of all that recruitment time and effort. So take this as an example of where something so simple can have such a big (and costly) impact.
4. How to handle difficult conversations
Nobody loves these, but they’re essential. To avoid difficult and costly legal conversations though, our managers need to know:
- How to deliver constructive feedback
- How to address underperformance early
- How to document these conversations properly (critical for your legal protection)
- How to manage emotions (theirs and the employee’s)
With the right approaches to feedback, communication, and expectations, many of those awkward situations simply don’t arise and keep you and your business out of trouble.
Me training the team at Ignite Growth
The brilliant side effect
Here’s the thing – even if the law wasn’t changing, this type of training would still be worth every penny. Why? Because when your managers are properly trained:
- New starters get properly onboarded and supported
- Performance issues get addressed before they become disasters
- Your culture improves because people feel seen and valued
- You spend less time fire-fighting and more time growing your business
- Your managers feel more confident and less stressed
- You attract and retain better talent (good people want good managers!)
I’m not exaggerating when I say good manager training can save you a fortune. Yes, there’s the obvious tribunal avoidance (starting at £20k for legal fees alone). But there are so many hidden costs too:
- The cost of recruiting when people leave (typically 33% of annual salary)
- The productivity loss during the 3-6 months a new hire takes to get up to speed
- The time YOU waste dealing with drama that could have been prevented
- The opportunities you miss because you’re busy putting out fires
Setting your managers up for success
So what does good training actually look like? Here’s what I’ve learned works best:
- Make it practical – Theory is fine, but your managers need real tools they can use tomorrow
- Make it relevant – Generic training rarely sticks; it needs to address YOUR business challenges
- Make it ongoing – One-off training helps, but regular reinforcement is what really changes behaviour
- Lead by example – If you’re not using these skills yourself, why would your managers bother?
For small businesses especially, investing in your managers doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Even just having clear expectations, a structured onboarding process, and regular check-ins can transform your people management.
Prevention beats tribunal. Every. Single. Time.
I’ve dealt with sexual harassment claims, three-day benders, and even sexual assault allegations resulting from Christmas parties. I’ve navigated redundancies gone wrong, long-term sickness nightmares, poorly handled team pregnancies, and conflicts that have torn teams apart for years.
As someone who specialises in HR emergencies, I can tell you that while I love helping clients through those sticky situations, they’re soul-destroying for everyone involved (and bloody expensive).
So what can you do? Well, take a leaf out of other people’s book.
The best businesses aren’t waiting for the law to change – they’re getting ahead of it now. They’re investing in their managers because they know it’ll save them a fortune down the line (in recruitment costs, legal fees, and lost productivity).
And ultimately, isn’t that what we all want? A business where people stay, do their jobs well, and everyone gets to go home without the post-work stresses and Sunday night anxieties.
Your next steps (because this matters)
If you’re thinking, “Yes, Sarah! But where do I start?” – I’ve got you covered. I run several courses specifically designed for businesses of all sizes and their managers:
- Employment Law Essentials: In-house, bespoke team training or join on of my one-day course covering all the HR basics managers need (sign-up to my newsletter to hear about when these are happening)
- Train the Trainer: How to onboard and train new team members effectively
- Difficult Conversations: Giving feedback and handling underperformance
- Be the Best Leader: The complete toolkit for new and growing managers
- Prevention of Harassment Training: Essential since the law change in October requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment
All my training can be delivered in-house for your team or as open courses that individuals can attend. And I always customise the content to address your specific challenges, because generic training doesn’t solve real-world problems.
I firmly believe that one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself as a business owner, your business, and your team is great (and proactive) HR. I know I’m biased, but I also know how powerful it is to do things properly when it comes to your people; it improves culture, productivity, and profits.
Want to chat about what might work for your business? Drop me a message or book a free 30-minute call. Your future self (and bank balance) will thank you.
And remember: Prevention beats tribunal!
Sarah