By Jackie Thompson (HR Consultant, Creative HR Services)
Throughout 2024 multiple changes have been mad to employment law that it’s important your business keeps track of and understands how to manage. So we asked HR specialist Jackie Thompson to tell us about what changes have taken place and are expected, and what you need to do about them.
1st January: Working time and holiday
Holiday carry over
- Holiday accrued during sick leave
- Holiday accrued during maternity etc
Record keeping
- Requirement to keep records of daily working time removed
8th February – Fines increased for illegal workers
- Fines payable by employers who employ illegal workers will increase
- First breach increase from £15,000 to £45,000 per illegal worker
- Repeated breaches increase from £20,000 up to £60,000 per illegal worker
1st April: National Minimum/Living Wage
1st April: Part year and irregular hours workers’ holiday
- Accrual on basis of 12.07% per hours worked in pay period
- Rolled up holiday lawful
- For annual leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024
6th April: Carer’s leave
- Up to one-week unpaid leave per year from day one
- Dependant with ‘long term care need’
- No evidence needed for eligibility
6 April: flexible working became a day one right
- 2 requests per year
- Consultation before refusing
- 2 months to deal with requests
6 April: Redundancy and family friendly rights
- Extra protection against redundancy for pregnant employees and through to 18 months after birth
- Applies when an employee tells their employer on or after 6 April that they are pregnant
- Also applies to leave ending on or after 6 April
- Applies to adoption leave/shared parental leave too
6th April: Paternity leave
- Changes to make paternity leave more flexible
- Will be available up to the end of the first year after birth or adoption
1 July: TUPE changes
- Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will be able to consult directly with employees
- Businesses of any size will be able to consult directly with employees where a transfer of fewer than ten employees is proposed
- Only if no existing employee representatives in place
18 July 2024 – New Code of Practice on ”fire and rehire”
- A new statutory Code of Practice on “fire and re-hire” is now in place, called the “Code of Practice on Dismissal and Re-engagement”. This sets out the principles it expects employers to follow when dismissing and re-engaging employees.
Autumn (expected) – Stable and predictable contracts
- For workers with a lack of predictability in working hours, including fixed term
- Request for a more stable working pattern
- Service requirement
- Refusal possible
October (expected): Neonatal care leave
- Max 12 weeks added to maternity/paternity leave from day one
- Baby must be hospitalised before 28 days old and for at least 1 week
- Paid at statutory rate if eligible
Late October (expected): Harassment
- New proactive duty to prevent sexual harassment
- Worker referrals directly to EHRC
- Tribunal will be able to uplift compensation by up to 25% where employer has breached the duty
More to come in 2024
Key Proposals from Labour’s Plan:
Enhanced Worker Protections:
Parental leave, sick pay, and unfair dismissal protection from day one.
Provisions for dismissals during probationary periods.
Contractual Changes:
Ban on zero-hours contracts.
End to “fire and re-hire” practices.
Workplace Flexibility:
Making flexible working a default option from day one.
Post-Maternity Protections:
Protection against dismissal for six months post-return, except in limited cases.
Statutory Sick Pay:
Removal of lower earnings limit and waiting period.
And more…
To find out more about the upcoming employment changes, join Jackie at our free webinar on 26th November, 1pm. Jackie Thompson (HR Consultant, Creative HR Services) will help guide you through any of the thorny legal changes that may be introduced and how best to process any changes in your business. By simplifying each issue you will feel more confident that you are in the best position to handle any HR issues that may occur – and if not, Jackie will be on hand to offer consultation.
Jackie is offering a special benefit to EVCOM members. Jackie’s usual Pay-As-You-Go rate is £125 per hour, but is happy to offer EVCOM members 15% off this rate for the next 12 months.