Employers beware! April 2024 means big changes to employment legislation.

Employment law used to be one of the fastest changing areas of law. In the years since covid, however, nothing much has altered and employers have not had to think about new policies and processes to accommodate change.

Now the ‘new legislation holiday’ has ended and this year changes to employment law are abundant, which means employers need to be on their toes.

The changes began in January, with employers needing to keep records to show compliance with the Working Time Regulations 1998. On April 1^st 2024, came changes to the way holiday entitlement should be calculated for part-year workers and irregular hour workers, and an option for rolled-up holiday pay.

With a focus on families, new rights were introduced from 6^th April 2024 in respect of paternity leave and carers’ leave. Among other changes, these provide employees with more flexible working options and prevent employers from demanding proof of why leave is required. Further advantages for families include an extension of protection during redundancy for those on family leave.

From 1^st July 2024, workers will be entitled to 100 percent of the tips they receive, without deductions from their employer other than statutory reductions such as tax.

Later this year, in October, a new duty will be imposed on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, and workers will be given a statutory right to request a more predictable working pattern if their current working pattern is unpredictable.

To minimize the significant impact that these and other changes are likely to have on day-to-day operations, managers should start now to look at amending their policies, entering into discussions with employees and updating their processes to accommodate the new rules – before they take effect.

Keeping up with employment law can be a minefield, but taking a proactive approach will be crucial to compliance and avoidance of the claims and penalties that bosses face if they get it wrong. Seeking advice from an employment solicitor will be money well spent, in order to keep abreast of new legislation and out of trouble.