Effective Performance Management - Getting it right under changing employment law

Thursday 21 May 2026
14:00 to 15:00

With major reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 and anticipated changes to unfair dismissal rules, employers face increased scrutiny over how they manage performance. Processes that were once considered sufficient may no longer stand up to challenge.

In this session, our experts will guide you through a clear, compliant approach to performance management, helping you support your people while protecting your business.

Left unmanaged, underperformance rarely resolves itself. It can affect team output, place strain on colleagues, and gradually impact wider workplace culture.

As employment law evolves under the ERA, including changes to unfair dismissal rules on the horizon, there is now a greater need for employers to ensure their performance management processes are clear, consistent, and robust to reduce the risk of potential claims.

Join WorkNest’s Employment Law experts for a practical session on how to manage performance issues fairly and effectively, while ensuring your approach remains compliant in an evolving legal landscape.

What we’ll cover

Hosted by Senior HR Consultant Wendy Lockhart and Employment Law Adviser Akinola Olayinka, this free 60-minute session will cover:

How the ERA impacts your performance management processes – and what you need to do to ensure compliance
The role of performance reviews and probationary periods in reducing long-term risk
How to conduct structured, effective appraisals that stand up to scrutiny
The key differences between performance and conduct issues – and why getting this wrong can be costly
How to follow a fair and defensible performance management process
Practical ways to address historic or ongoing underperformance
Why redundancy is not a solution to poor performance – and what to do instead
How to reduce risk when dismissing underperforming employees, including where disability may be a factor

What you’ll gain:

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

Take confident, early action on underperformance
Reduce the risk of unfair dismissal and discrimination claims
Ensure your processes are legally compliant and consistently applied

Got a question?

If you have a specific query that you would like our experts to address, submit it when registering – we’ll answer as many as possible during the session.

Book tickets

Location	Online
Cost	Free

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