The world of employment law is constantly changing, and employers need to be up to date with the latest developments.
But that’s easier said than done; even for employers with dedicated HR staff, locating, assessing and integrating new law into existing codes of practice, policies and procedures is an extensive, time-consuming and stressful process.
That’s where rradar’s team of highly experienced advisors and solicitors comes in. They’re constantly reviewing new legislation and regulations, monitoring for changes that have been announced and those on the legal horizon, ensuring you are kept fully up to date and informed about what you need to know.
1) The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023
Flexible working is where an employee can make a request to change the hours that they work, perhaps to suit a change in their life circumstances such as increased care responsibilities or a change in their capability due to a health condition. The request could be to alter start or finish times, work compressed hours or even move to part or fully remote working.
Currently, an employee has to have at least 26 weeks’ service before they can make a request, and only one request can be made in a 12-month period.
Our webinar will outline the changes you need to know about and how they will affect your business.
2) The Carer’s Leave Act 2023
It has been recognised that employees who have long term caring commitments should benefit from additional time off work. For employees who are carers, the stress of juggling care commitments with the demands of their job means something has to give, and unfortunately, this often means the job, with the loss to employers of valued workers.
Now new legislation is being introduced, aimed at helping those who have care commitments for dependents with a long-term care need. Under the new Act, leave can be used for a physical or mental illness or injury, a disability under the Equality Act 2010 or an illness related to old age.
In the webinar, we’ll go into more details about how the Act will work, what you need to know about the rights workers will have and how this will affect your policies and procedures.
3) Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023
Figures from the charity Bliss show that 1 in 7 babies is admitted to neonatal care; this is often not just a short-term condition but one that can have health implications for years to come. The new Act recognises that the current levels of maternity and paternity leave aren’t long enough for parents who have sick or premature babies, and so it aims to give extra financial protection to stop parents returning to work too soon, or giving up work altogether
The Act comes into effect in April 2025, and although this might seem a long way off, wis employers will be making plans to amend policies and procedures now so that they will be ready when the law changes. Our webinar will look at the crucial features you need to be preparing for now and how they will affect your workplace and workforce.
4) Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023
For many women, pregnancy is an exciting if challenging time, with a wide variety of life changes on the way, including those relating to the workplace. However, historically there has been no lack of Tribunal claims which centre on discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy or new parenthood, and the new Act aims to expand and strengthen current legal protection for women who are pregnant or those on maternity leave, as well as those who have suffered a miscarriage and those returning from adoption leave or shared parental leave.
With many employers struggling to fill vacancies, anything that enhances the family-friendly reputation of a workforce will be good for business, and incorporating the changes to the law into policies and procedures will also protect your business from the potential of damaging tribunal claims for unfair dismissal claims and discrimination claims
5) Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023
The hospitality industry struggles with a reputation for low pay and poor working conditions. Many businesses in the sector are doing the right thing by their employees, but there are some who abuse the loopholes in the law, and one of the most egregious is the way in which tips are handled. Customers who choose to reward hard working staff for their good service might think that their gratuities are going to the employees, but some unscrupulous employers ensure their workers don’t get to see that money. For those struggling on low wages, this can be disheartening and now a new Act has been introduced to tackle this abuse by the small number of rogue employers.
Although the Act comes into force in 2024, employers should implement policies (or amend existing ones) now as the provisions of the Act will bring in some major changes., This will enable employers to avoid being caught out and leaving themselves open to tribunal claims by workers, which could lead to a compensation bill of up to £5,000.
Our webinar will outline the key features of the new Act and what you need to know to stay compliant with the law.
6) EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023
One of the significant features of the Brexit process for employers was the change in the way that EU legislation affected UK courts and tribunals. Since 2016, there has been uncertainty over which EU-derived laws would be retained and incorporated into UK law, but the 2023 Act sets out deadlines and a timetable for this to happen. This will deliver welcome certainty for UK employers and our webinar outlines what you should be aware of and what preparations you need to make.