Most employers will treat this Thursday as a normal working day. For anyone who hires or manages salespeople, it isn't quite one.

From 1 October, people get six months instead of three to bring most employment tribunal claims, according to Acas's guide to the Employment Rights Act 2025. It's one line in a long list of changes, and it's easy to assume it's a job for HR or your solicitor. But I think it belongs with whoever signs off sales hires too.

I'm a recruiter, not a lawyer, so read this as a hiring view and not legal advice.

What actually changes on 1 October?

The deadline for most claims doubles. If someone leaves your business after a rough few months, they now have six months to decide whether to take it further. Before, they had three.

More follows. Acas lists further changes on 30 October, including a stronger duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment. The government's business guidance also says unfair dismissal protections change from 1 January 2027. That means a shorter qualifying period and no cap on the compensatory award.

None of it is aimed at sales teams, but a fair bit of it lands on them.

Why do sales hires carry more of this risk than most?

Sales jobs come with a number attached. If someone misses it for a few months, everyone can see, and the talk about what to do next gets uncomfortable fast. But the number is only part of it. What people argue about later is usually what they were told.

Say a sales director starts in January. By April the pipeline looks thin and the managing director is losing patience, and by June they've agreed to part ways.

Now the argument is about what the target was, how long they had to reach it and who promised what.

If none of that was written down, each side remembers it differently. And with a longer deadline, that argument can turn up later, when memories are hazier still. The jobs market adds to the pressure. Between June and August the ONS counted 702,000 UK vacancies, and its vacancy survey suggested smaller firms may be holding back on recruiting because of higher labour costs.

With fewer hires being made, each one matters more, and a bad one is harder for a small business to absorb.

What does a well-run sales hire look like?

You can say clearly what you agreed with the person before they started. The target, the patch they'd cover and the time they'd have to get going are written down. And the new starter has seen them.

Start with the job, before you meet anyone. Write one page on what you'd expect from the first six months, including how much pipeline and what number by when. Be honest about how long it takes to get going in a territory nobody has worked before. Nobody hits full speed on day one.

In interviews, keep what you're told separate from what you can check.

It's easy to be won over by someone confident. But senior hires are the ones most likely to get waved through on reputation, so I'd be stricter with them, not softer. If you're wondering how to assess senior sales candidates in a way you could stand behind later, start with the things you can check.

Ask for numbers, and ask for the year things went badly, not only the good ones.

Say one candidate tells you they smashed their targets. Another says they hit most of theirs in a year when the market dropped, and explains what they changed. The second has given you something you can test. With the first, all you have is their word.

What should you write down before a sales hire starts?

Put the target and how it's measured on paper first. Then add how commission works and when it's paid, which accounts or area they're responsible for, and who they report to. Add how long before the full target applies, and when you'll sit down together to review how it's going.

Give the person a copy and ask them to confirm they've read it.

It sounds like a lot of admin for one hire, but it doesn't take long. And it's the page you'll be glad of if things go wrong.

How should you check references for a sales role?

Ring the person's last manager, not just the name on the form. Ask what the target was and whether they hit it. Find out what they were like to work with when things weren't going well. And ask whether the manager would hire them again.

Listen for the pause before the answer.

A quick, warm answer tells you something, and so does a careful one. Write down what you're told, so you're not relying on memory if you have to make a hard call later.

Does a longer time limit change how you handle the first few months?

Yes, it makes the early months matter more. If a new starter is struggling, keep a dated note of what help you offered and when. Six months on, a written note is worth far more than anyone's memory. Your employment adviser can tell you how the new rules apply to your contracts.

It also affects who says yes to your offer.

A good sales director with a long notice period and other offers on the table won't wait around for a vague process. If you haven't decided what the job is, they'll notice. And they'll go elsewhere.

What should you do before Thursday?

Nothing dramatic. Look at your last few sales hires and check each one has a written target and a note of what was agreed. If one doesn't, sort it out now, while everyone is still on good terms. Do it this week.

Then look at any sales vacancy you have open.

Could you explain the job, and why you picked the person, to someone who wasn't in the room? If the brief is a long wish list, cut it down to what really matters. A shorter list is easier to defend.

If you're weighing up a sales director or head of sales appointment, check your package against our salary guides first. Get the money wrong and you'll lose good candidates before the process has even started.

And if you've got a sales seat coming up and want a second opinion on the brief before it goes out, send us the role when you're ready. We'll tell you plainly what we'd tighten. If you'd rather talk it through first, that's fine too. No obligation.