Q&A: pros and cons of short-term contracts

When hiring new staff businesses often look to offer short-term or zero hour contracts, instead of permanent roles, but what are the potential pitfalls

Q: My client is in a period of transition and plans to stop offering permanent contracts to new hires for the foreseeable future. They say doing so will give them greater flexibility with off boarding and reduce the benefits they are obliged to pay permanent staff.

This feels like an oversimplification, can we treat fixed term employees differently than the permanent ones?

A: Objective justification can give a defence for treating fixed term employees differently to permanent employees. Within employment law, objective justification is possible provided that a policy:

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