New tribunal data shows a system under growing strain, with more than half a million unresolved claims and new cases continuing to outpace resolutions. Over the past year, active disputes have risen noticeably, particularly in areas such as unfair dismissal, discrimination, and wage deductions, with discrimination matters now forming a substantial share of the caseload. The new Employment Rights Act is expected to accelerate claim volumes further by lowering the qualifying period for unfair dismissal to six months and removing compensation caps. At the same time, workplace stress is appearing more frequently in tribunal decisions, often surfacing in cases where performance or capability issues are contested. Taken together, these developments point to a more complex and time-consuming dispute landscape and underline the importance of timely issue-spotting, consistent case management, and strong wellbeing support to prevent matters from escalating to tribunal.
