Flexible working
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.
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?
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.
The Employment Rights Bill packs 28 imposing employment law reforms into its 158 pages. While HR professionals await the substantive details needed to flesh out the Bill, we outline the key policies that you will need to update and an overview of what those updates might involve.
After months of waiting, the Government has finally published the first draft of its wide-ranging Employment Rights Bill, which will make radical changes to employment law in the next few years. Now that the Employment Rights Bill has begun its progress through Parliament, we highlight the key points from the first draft for HR professionals.
The UK Government is seeking to introduce the right to "switch off", which will allow workers to disconnect from work and not be contacted by their employer outside working hours. Labour has indicated that it intends to follow the models in Ireland and Belgium but with the details of the legislation still unclear, what clues can employers glean from these and other countries' approaches to the right to disconnect?
During the state opening of Parliament, the Government trailed its Employment Rights Bill, which will make wide-ranging and radical changes to employment law in the coming years. In advance of the publication of the full text of the Employment Rights Bill, what do HR professionals need to know about what is in store for them?
With a raft of employment law changes taking effect in April 2024, we provide a final reminder for HR professionals of what their organisation needs to do to comply with the new and amended employment laws. This April, the challenges for HR include: the introduction of carer's leave; reforms to the right to request flexible working; and updated rules on timing and notice to take paternity leave.
Changes to statutory flexible working rights are due to come into force on 6 April 2024. Given the increased expectation of staff to be able to work flexibly, coupled with the right to request flexible working becoming a day-one right, employers should prepare for an increase in flexible working applications. In this article, we guide HR through the key changes and how employers can prepare.
The Workers (Predicable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 has now received Royal Assent. But will it fix the problem of zero hours contracts and precarious work? Probably not, says XpertHR consultant editor Darren Newman, who casts an eye over Labour's plans for a "New Deal" and points to a forgotten proposal with the potential to make a real difference.
Commentary and insights: HR and legal information and guidance relating to flexible working.