The limits on the amount of money that can be awarded at an employment tribunal have been increased and in some instances removed completely.

The number of applications to employment tribunals have risen dramatically.

For an employer the starting point to avoiding claims must be to have contracts of employment, proper grievance and disciplinary procedures.

An employment tribunal can award compensation of two weeks wages to an employee simply because they have not been issued with a contract (or the statutory terms of employment).

Are you aware of the changes in maternity leave provisions?

Are you still discriminating against your part-time employees? For instance, are they excluded from your pension scheme?

If you are selling your business and the Buyer does not want all your employees, simply dismissing them may turn out to be an expensive option, even if they have less than one year's service.