If you employ people in your business, you already have plenty of things to remember for their terms of employment. Well, since 6th April there are two more — and not being ready for them could land you in trouble.
Changes to Flexible Working Rules
The Covid lockdown finally put paid to the already dying traditional model of working, where everyone came into a workplace and stayed from nine till five. Depending on the business, it may be appropriate for people to work remotely some or all of the time, or to work different hours.
The right to request flexible working arrangements is already enshrined in employment law, and you need to show that you’ve done your best to accommodate this, if the request is reasonable. However, changes that came into force on the 6th enhance these rights:
- Employees can make a flexible working request from their first day of employment.
- Employees can make two requests in any twelve-month period.
- Employers must respond to a request within two months, instead of the current three months.
- Employers must arrange a consultation process with the employee, and can’t reject the request out of hand before going through this process.
- Employees no longer have the obligation to explain the effects of the changed patterns and how they can be dealt with.
Changes to Pregnancy Redundancy Protection
The law already specifies that an employee on maternity leave, shared parental leave or adoption leave has extra protection from redundancy and must be prioritised for suitable alternative vacancies. Updates to this law on the 6th, however, extended this protection.
Under the updated law, the provision now applies from the point when the employee informs the employer of their pregnancy, and it extends to eighteen months after giving birth. Similarly, those on shared parental or adoption leave are now protected until eighteen months after the start of their leave.
Needless to say, there are circumstances when no alternative to redundancy is possible — if the entire workforce is being made redundant, for instance, or if it’s being downsized to the extent that no alternative vacancies are available. However, as an employer you must be able to show that no options are available.
What Does This Mean for You?
It’s easy to think of these changes as a victory for the employee at the employer’s expense. However, it’s worth remembering that benefits to your workforce can have a positive knock-on effect on your business. For instance, flexible working often creates a healthier work-life balance, leaving an employee with greater energy and enthusiasm to bring to their role.
All the same, you might be worried about these changes costing you more in the short term, just at a time when things are difficult. If you’re struggling to afford essential costs, maybe it’s because your cashflow is being hit by late payments.
Give me a call if you need help getting payments coming in, so that you can afford a happier, more enthusiastic workforce.
