Managing employees/workers
While many employers acknowledge that flexible working already is the new default way of working, in line with the Government's ambitions for the modern workforce, creating arrangements that meet the needs of both businesses and employees remains a challenge.
This is your overview of employment law developments that are in the pipeline, where you can learn what's happening, what might be happening and what isn't happening, as well as how you can start preparing for upcoming changes.
With the completion of the lengthy House of Lords committee stage on 24 June 2025 and the publication of the Government's implementation roadmap on 1 July 2025, the Employment Rights Bill is becoming an ever more pressing reality for HR departments. What happens next and what is the likely legislative timetable?
The policy intent behind the measures relating to zero and low hours workers in the Employment Rights Bill is to end one-sided flexibility and "exploitative zero hours contracts". This does not mean that there will be an outright ban on such contracts. What it does mean is that there will now be a legislative framework, the intention behind which is to deliver a better level of predictability and security for workers. Barrister and mediator Alison Frazer looks at the practical implications for HR.
Employers across England, Wales and Scotland must be ready for the new right to neonatal care leave, which is available to parents of children born on or after 6 April 2025. To help HR professionals cut through the complexities we explain the legal entitlement in four of the most likely scenarios where a parent gets additional time off because their child requires neonatal care.
While the introduction of neonatal care leave and pay is the key change for HR professionals to get to grips with, there are other employment law changes in April 2025. These include increases to the national minimum wage rates; a rise in statutory redundancy pay; and the uprating of statutory sick pay and family-related pay.
Motherhood is at the heart of a lot of policies in the contemporary workplace, where the narrative often focuses around an ideal that everyone is or wants to be a mother. This can be incredibly excluding for non-mothers. It's great to provide policies and benefits that support parents, says Caroline Green, but how can you supplement your support for everyone else?
A new right for parents to take up to 12 weeks' neonatal care leave if their baby requires medical or palliative care is introduced on 6 April 2025. Now that the Government has published the remaining legislation needed to bring the new right into force, we set out what HR professionals need to know about neonatal care leave.
In the second part of a new series delving into the details of the Employment Rights Bill, we look at the proposed changes to the right to make a flexible working request.
In 2025, HR professionals face the unique challenge of dealing with business-as-usual employment law changes, such as increases in statutory maternity, paternity and sick pay, while also beginning their preparations in earnest for the looming Employment Rights Bill. We look at what HR needs to do to meet its employment law obligations and prepare for the coming year
Commentary and insights: HR and legal information and guidance relating to managing employees/workers.