If you’re an SME in East Anglia, we’ve got good news for you!
We’ve created a brand-new induction checklist to make onboarding new employees much easier for your organisation.
This is a simple, practical tool designed to take the stress and guesswork out of bringing a new employee into your organisation.
We promise that this checklist isn’t just another piece of paperwork that will sit in your inbox untouched. It’s a powerful way to stay organised, consistent, and protected as you make your onboarding processes far easier, while also helping you to align your processes ahead of the forthcoming changes to the Employment Rights Act.
Hopefully, you’ve read our previous blog articles outlining the April 2026 employment law changes. But we also want to draw your attention to some changes that will almost certainly affect anyone you hire from this year onwards…
[If you don’t want to keep reading, you can download the checklist]
We’ve created this checklist to help you manage the shift from two years to six months qualifying period
As external HR consultants supporting SMEs across Suffolk, we’re talking daily with SME owners who are feeling overwhelmed by the upcoming shift from a two-year qualifying period to a six-month one for certain key employment rights.
While that may sound like a technical detail, it has real-world consequences for how you onboard, train, and manage your newest team members.
This is especially important for anyone you hire this year.
As our founder, Jo Moss, says,
“The employment law qualifying periods will change from 01 January 2027. We recognise that most people will think that this is ages away and something to deal with later down the line, but it’s my responsibility to explain why SME’s in East Anglia can’t delay their preparations.
“Most organisations, particularly if they don’t have their own in-house HR team, might not realise that when these qualifying periods change, the new rules will apply based on the employee’s service on the implementation date. So, if the six-month rule comes into force in 2027, anyone who has already reached six months’ service by that point will gain full unfair dismissal protection immediately, regardless of what their original contract said.”
That means that, practically speaking, anyone you hire in 2026 will fall under the new legislation.
Why onboarding matters when it comes to hiring new staff
In an ideal scenario, businesses in Suffolk will have already formalised their onboarding processes. If a client is already working with us, then that is certainly the case.
It worries us when we hear from local businesses that they don’t have anything in place, because it puts your business at risk.
Until now, you’ve always had up to two years before some employment rights came into action. That is partly why so many SMEs have been lax about their onboarding processes: they’ve had an extended time frame to identify issues, support improvements, and make key decisions.
In just a few months, you’ll have just six months to make those decisions. You need to recognise that the six-month timeframe includes any Christmas closures, annual leave, sickness or slower starts.
This is why onboarding suddenly matters more than ever.
How a strong onboarding process protects your SME and your employees
We always tell clients that onboarding a new hire is far more complex than just showing a new staff member around and explaining how your systems work. It should be a process you follow to help you manage the transition for your new staff member and your organisation.
When managed correctly, a formal onboarding process for new employees will help you to
- Spot issues early, and identify and rectify any key concerns before they become a problem
- Document clearly what information your employee has been given, by whom, and when. That way, you know which insights you have shared with the new starter.
- Be consistent. A repeatable onboarding process means every employee gets the same information, expectations and support, and you have a fair, defensible process.
- Improve retention because a clear, supportive start massively improves the chances of long-term success.
Our checklist will help you formalise your onboarding processes.
So, to help you improve your processes, we’ve created a step-by-step induction checklist. This is an ideal for any SME to use, whether you’re a construction company in Ipswich, a creative studio in Woodbridge, a team of physios in Hadleigh or a logistics firm in Felixstowe.
We created a tool to break down the onboarding process into clear, manageable sections.
That’s why you can find out –
- What to prepare before the employee arrives
- What to cover on day one
- What key policies and processes to explain
- How to introduce them to the team and wider SME
- What training they need, and when
- What expectations need to be set early on
- How to build a simple audit trail as you go
But most importantly, it’s simple. It’s practical. And it’s written for non-HR people.
There’s no jargon. No complicated tasks. No unnecessary admin.
Just a straightforward guide to make sure you’ve covered all the essentials in a way that supports both your organisation and your new team member.
As Jo says,
“I want this induction checklist to be something you can use every single time you have a new starter. Its purpose isn’t just to give you more paperwork; it’s to make the transition much easier for you and your employee, so the relationship starts well from the very first day.
“When onboarding is handled right, it can improve your retention rates, it can make it easier for your employee to know what they need to do and what you expect from them, and it can give you an audit trail so you can be confident you’ve welcomed every person in the same, clear, consistent way.”
Download the induction checklist and start preparing for next year’s legislation.
When it comes to growing your organisation and taking on new staff, you don’t need to become an expert in employment law. You don’t need to overhaul your SME, and you certainly don’t need to panic.
With a clear onboarding process, supported by our simple, structured induction checklist, you can be confident you’re doing everything you need to do to prepare for the next year’s changes.
[Download your free induction checklist for SMEs here]
If you ever need help tailoring your onboarding processes to your organisation or have any questions about the Employment Rights Act and what it could mean for you, we’re always at the end of the phone or ready to reply to your email.
