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The law and the manager
Avanti Academy / Managing well / People Management and Employment Law / Bitesize
Bitesize

The law and the manager

Employment Rights Act 2025 and contracts.

Level
Bitesize
Learning time
2 hours
Where
People Management and Employment Law
Price
£39

When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Read the full terms

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Certificate of Completion

About this course

Overview and Outcomes.

Overview

This module lays the foundations for managing people within the law. It explains the four layers of employment law, the rising pressure on tribunals and Acas, and why most claims begin with a manager's decision. It compares Wales and England, introduces the Taylor Review on good work and the six characteristics of Fair Work Wales, and sets out the principle that the law is the floor and fairness is the standard. Whether someone is an employee, a worker or genuinely self-employed decides which rights they have, and the contract shapes almost every later decision. This module compares the three statuses, works through the Supreme Court decision in Uber v Aslam and its lessons for casual, bank and sessional staff, and explores the written statement, the layers of contract terms, mutual trust and confidence from Malik v BCCI, lawful change and probation. The Employment Rights Act 2025 raises the legal floor in stages, and the staggered timetable is the hardest part for managers to track. Using the timetable published by Acas, this module sets out what came in during April 2026, what is due in October 2026 and January 2027, and what is expected later in 2027, covering unfair dismissal, hours and security, family rights, harassment and enforcement, with five practical steps to prepare.

What you'll develop

In this Bitesize, you will develop the ability to:

  1. Describe the four layers of employment law, from statute and case law to Codes of Practice and organisational policy, and explain how firm each one is.
  2. Identify the moments in everyday management where legal risk begins, and explain the five elements of good practice expected of a manager.
  3. Distinguish employees, workers and the genuinely self-employed, and explain why the reality of an arrangement rather than its label decides status.
  4. Identify the layers from which contract terms come and explain how the implied duty of mutual trust and confidence applies to everyday management decisions.
  5. Distinguish which Employment Rights Act 2025 changes are already in force, which are due on a set date, and which are expected in 2027 on dates still to be fixed.
What it covers

The Modules.

2 hours of learning.

  1. 01Foundations: The Manager and Employment LawThis module lays the foundations for managing people within the law. It explains the four layers of employment law, the rising pressure on tribunals and Acas, and why most claims begin with a manager's decision. It compares Wales and England, introduces the Taylor Review on good work and the six characteristics of Fair Work Wales, and sets out the principle that the law is the floor and fairness is the standard.38 min
  2. 02Employment Status and the ContractWhether someone is an employee, a worker or genuinely self-employed decides which rights they have, and the contract shapes almost every later decision. This module compares the three statuses, works through the Supreme Court decision in Uber v Aslam and its lessons for casual, bank and sessional staff, and explores the written statement, the layers of contract terms, mutual trust and confidence from Malik v BCCI, lawful change and probation.38 min
  3. 03The Employment Rights Act 2025: What Changes and WhenThe Employment Rights Act 2025 raises the legal floor in stages, and the staggered timetable is the hardest part for managers to track. Using the timetable published by Acas, this module sets out what came in during April 2026, what is due in October 2026 and January 2027, and what is expected later in 2027, covering unfair dismissal, hours and security, family rights, harassment and enforcement, with five practical steps to prepare.39 min
Where it fits

Keep going.

Part of the People Management and Employment Law topic, also sold whole as Fair, firm and lawful.

How credit works

Go deeper, and pay only the difference

  1. You are hereBitesize, 2 hours, £39
  2. Next stepFocus, Firm foundations, 3 hours, £69. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £30.
  3. Explore, Getting the basics right, 5 hours 30 minutes, £129. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £90.
  4. The whole topicImmerse, Fair, firm and lawful, 11 hours, £249. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £210.

When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Prices per person. Read the full terms

Other Bitesize in the People Management and Employment Law topic

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