When?
From Monday 1st December 2025, the Acas Early Conciliation period will be extended from 6 to 12 weeks.
Why?
On paper, it gives us more time to sort things out. In practice, it gives HR and senior leaders a longer stint in that familiar holding pattern: the ‘we might have a claim, but we don’t know yet’ zone. The Government suggests that the extra weeks will reduce pressure on Acas and create space to resolve disputes. That may be true, but it is also true that uncertainty ages people, and employers are about to age slightly faster.
What is the risk?
The core risk is time. Early Conciliation ‘pauses’ the limitation clock, so extending the period also extends the wait to see whether a claim is coming. For HR, this means monitoring files for longer, more cautious conversations, and more weeks of silently hoping the employee has lost interest. Some will. Many will not.
What should you do?
Record-keeping will become even more critical. Acas can already cut the period short where no settlement is realistically possible, but you will not know that until you are in it. With the new timelines and the Government planning more changes to limitation periods in 2026, HR teams need tidy files and clear internal notes that survive longer shelf-lives.
How?
So, what should you do today? Refresh document-retention rules. Tighten internal investigation processes. Make sure line managers understand the importance of contemporaneous notes, and make sure HR has the bandwidth to keep potential disputes warm (but not simmering) while conciliation plays out.
