The unfair dismissal rule does not apply to employees who have worked for less than two years. A General dismissal letter can be used for these types of employees. However, this doesn't give employers the right to dismiss employees without good reason. There are some dismissals that will automatically be unfair whatever the length of service (eg if the employee is pregnant, on maternity leave or has reported a health and safety issue) which are set out in statute. For further information on automatic unfair dismissal, read Unfair dismissal.