As of 1 December 2020 there are new rules in force for Acas early conciliation courtesy of The Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) (Early Conciliation: Exemptions and Rules of Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.
The default one month early conciliation period with a possible extension of a further two weeks has now changed to allow for a standard six week early conciliation process in all cases. Under the previous rules the position was sometimes unnecessarily complicated and the new position also allows Acas more time to deal with backlogs in the system (there have been issues with employers not being contacted until the third or fourth week of the early conciliation period).
