Looks like 2020 will be another busy year for employment law. Below we take a look at some of the changes on the horizon taking place primarily in April 2020.
Contracts of employment:
- Employers will have to provide employees with a contract of employment on or before day 1 of employment. At the moment the contract can be provided within the first 8 weeks of employment.
- Contracts will need to be provided to employees and workers. Currently, workers are not legally entitled to a contract.
- The information required to go into those contracts is expanding. Employers will now have to include information about training and benefits.
So, employers are going to have to re-think their recruitment practices to prepare for this change.
Changes to holiday pay calculations
Currently if staff have variable hours to calculate their holiday pay an average is taken over the last 12 weeks. From April, employers will have to take an average over the previous 52 weeks of employment.
Employers will have to review their holiday pay calculation arrangements to ensure compliance with these changes.
Parental bereavement leave
There will be a new statutory entitlement for parents who have lost a child under the age of 18.
Employers will need to consider updating their Staff Handbooks to reflect this.
IR35
Changes to the IR35 rules have been delayed for 12 months due to the the Coronavirus pandemic.
Zero hour workers
it is suggested that there will be new legislation to allow zero hour workers the right to request a more permanent and stable contract after 26 weeks’ service.
Employers should assess now their use of zero hour workers.
For any further information about any of these changes or any employment related matters please contact Hannah Belton, Director, on 01267 493130 or email [email protected]
