Employment Rights Bill: What’s changing? Employment law Overview from The HR Help Desk

Grace
Oct 10, 2024
2 min read

The Government is bringing forward the most significant upgrade to workplace rights in a generation! This exciting development is designed to improve fairness, flexibility, and support for employees across the UK. While some changes may roll out as early as next year, others might take a little longer, potentially arriving in 2026 or beyond.

Here’s a snapshot of the key proposed changes:

Goodbye Zero-Hour Contracts: Ending exploitative practices like zero-hour contracts and "fire and re-hire."
Day-One Rights: Expanding paternity, bereavement, and parental leave from day one of employment.
Guaranteed Hours: Ensuring better security for those on low-hours contracts.
Unfair Dismissal Protection: Removing the two-year qualifying period for claims.
Stronger Sick Pay: Enhancing Statutory Sick Pay by removing the lower earnings limit and reducing the waiting period.
Gender Pay and Menopause Support: Requiring large employers to tackle pay gaps and provide menopause support.
Pregnancy Protections: Strengthening dismissal protections for pregnant employees and new mothers.

The Bill also introduces a Fair Work Agency to enforce holiday pay rights and assist businesses in staying on top of employment laws.

Flexible Work as the Default

The Bill proposes making flexible working the default option—unless an employer can demonstrate that it’s unreasonable.

A Closer Look at Wages

To help with the cost of living, the Minimum Wage will be reviewed with fairness in mind, removing age-based pay bands that can disadvantage younger employees.

What’s Next?

The Government is seeking feedback on several areas, including:

A "Right to Switch Off," limiting out-of-hours contact except in emergencies.

Mandatory reporting of ethnicity and disability pay gaps for larger employers.

Simplifying employment status with a new two-part framework.

Reviewing and streamlining parental and carers' leave systems.

How Can We Help?

At The HR Help Desk, we’re here to help you navigate these changes every step of the way. Whether you need advice on updating your policies, understanding the potential changes, or preparing for compliance, our team is ready to support you.