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Our Guide to Dismissing an Employee for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR) offers step-by-step instructions, ensuring legal compliance and fairness in the dismissal process.
The five fair reasons for dismissal as set out by the Employment Rights Act 1996 are:
Capability: If a person lacks the skills, qualifications or ability to perform the job role.
Conduct: If the employee has committed gross misconduct, or received previous warnings for serious misconduct.
Redundancy: If the role is no longer required by the organisation.
Legal reasons: If the continuation of employment would cause legal issues, such as a teacher being unable to pass a DBS check.
Some other substantial reason (SOSR)
What is Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR)?
SOSR is a unique category that encompasses various justifiable grounds not covered by the other four reasons. SOSR allows for dismissal when a reason is significant, justifiable, and does not fall within the other potentially fair reasons. It should not be an insignificant or frivolous reason but should justify the dismissal of an employee carrying out a particular role.
Common Examples of SOSR
Business Re-organisation:
If the business undergoes restructuring without making redundancies, SOSR may be a potentially fair reason for dismissal. This often involves changes to employees' terms and conditions, and dismissing an employee for refusing these changes, whether within or outside a re-organisation, can constitute SOSR.
Refusal to Accept Changes to Terms and Conditions:
Employees have the right to resist unilateral changes to their
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The Guide to Dismissing an Employee for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR) provides employers with a structured approach to navigate complex employment terminations.
This guide outlines the legal framework, procedural considerations, and documentation requirements when dismissing an employee for reasons not covered by misconduct or poor performance.
Its purpose is to assist employers in making fair and legally sound decisions, fostering transparency and adherence to employment laws during the dismissal process for substantial reasons beyond traditional categories.
Check which resources should be implemeted before and/or after the Managers guide to dismissing an Employee for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR), to understand the workflow.
Our Dismissal for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR) Letter Template communicates a termination based on valid reasons beyond the usual, providing clarity and professionalism in the process.
Yes. The Managers guide to dismissing an Employee for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR) is designed to be flexible and suitable for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses and charities. It follows UK employment law best practice, so even if you don't have an in-house HR team, you can confidently apply it.
Absolutely. As with the Managers guide to dismissing an Employee for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR), all of our templates are drafted with the latest ACAS guidance and UK employment legislation in mind. We review and update them regularly, so you can be confident they remain compliant.
Yes, we highlight the areas of the Managers guide to dismissing an Employee for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR) that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download the Managers guide to dismissing an Employee for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR) instantly. Templates are provided in editable Word or Excel format so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include the Managers guide to dismissing an Employee for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR), along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need deeper advice.
The risk of using a free AI-generated template 'without review' includes your legal exposure, missing context, and no awareness of the wider process, whereas purchasing the Managers guide to dismissing an Employee for Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR) from us mitigates that risk.
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