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The number of disgruntled workers going through employment tribunals has fallen by 18 per cent, according to the latest figures.
The Office of Tribunals said the number of staff lodging an application to start tribunal proceedings fell from 128,000 in 2001 to 105,000 last year.
It attributed the fall to improved conciliation and negotiation methods, and an increase in the amount of cases resolved at an early stage by employers.
However, research commissioned by law firm Peninsula to coincide with the results warns that a raft of legislation including flexible working, discrimination and equal pay questionnaires, could send future numbers soaring.
The study also included a poll of more than 800 employers, which shows that 83 per cent think more effort should be made to resolve disputes before they reach tribunal.
In addition, more than eight out of 10 organisations feel it's currently too easy for staff to take employers to tribunal, while three-quarters said the UK employment litigation process has got out of hand.
Peninsula's managing director Peter Done said employers must ensure the right HR measures are in place and focus on developing systems to resolve disputes before going to tribunal.
"Although we have seen a slight dip in tribunal applications, I fear it may only be short-lived," he said. "We have a raft of new worker rights being introduced which will begin to feed into the tribunal system by the end of the year."
