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10 Ways You Should Prepare for the Employment Rights Bill

1 Unfair Dismissal Change Clause 19 removes the two-year qualifying period for claiming unfair dismissal, making it a right from day one of employment.  The government will consult on a new statutory probationary period, with its preference being nine months. Action Monitor probationary periods Begin planning to monitor and evaluate your employees more rigorously during…

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Eight ways to comply with the employer’s new duty to prevent sexual harassment of employees.

The government has confirmed its plans to bring the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 into force on Saturday 26th October 2024.  The Act will require employers to take ‘reasonable steps’ to protect employees from sexual harassment in the course of their employment. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will be…

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How can you support disabled workers with hybrid working?

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published a guide to help employers support disabled workers’ full participation in hybrid working. The guide provides practical tips, conversation prompts, questions, and case study examples.  It covers recruitment and employment. What does the law say about reasonable adjustments in employment? The Equality Act 2010 recognises that achieving…

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How will the Labour government reform employment law?

The Labour government has made comprehensive proposals to enhance workers’ rights.  The aim is to create a fairer and more inclusive working environment. Here is a summary: Artificial intelligence Labour plans to introduce regulations to protect workers from the potential negative effects of artificial intelligence in the workplace.  This includes ensuring that AI systems are…

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Will employment tribunals cope with the Labour government’s transformational reforms?

We will likely see increased claims, adding to the backlog already within the system.  In 2023/24, open employment tribunal cases increased by 3% to 653,000. Solutions Labour’s primary solution to combat the strain appears to be digitising claims. However, the Conservatives already modernised and digitised the tribunal process by introducing the ‘MyHMCTS’ system for submitting…

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How can you avoid placing discriminatory adverts?

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has updated its guidance on adverts.  What does it say? What is a discriminatory advert? A discriminatory advert restricts jobs, goods, facilities, or services to people with particular protected characteristics, such as men or people of a particular age group.  It is unlawful except in limited circumstances where…

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Managing trade unions and collective bargaining with a Labour government in power

With a potential Labour government imminent, employers need to think now about its impact on their current trade union and collective bargaining arrangements. The Labour manifesto states explicitly that stronger trade unions and collective bargaining will be the key mechanisms that enable them to tackle what they perceive as problems in the employment arena. So…

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Labour’s proposals for change

On 4th July 2024 we will vote for our next government.  The most recent polls indicate a Labour landslide, which would precipitate what is potentially the ‘biggest upgrade to rights at work for a generation.’ The Labour Party’s employment law proposals were set out in Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay: Delivering A New Deal…

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