Changes in the Workplace

The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Previously DTI) have recently introduced several reforms aimed at bringing fairness in the workplace for employees and cutting red tape and costs for business.

Minimum holiday entitlement

From October 2007 the minimum holiday entitlement will increase from 20 days a year to 24 days. From April 2009 this will increase to 28 days.

Paternity leave

In recognising people want greater flexibility to better juggle their work and family life, and that fathers increasingly want to play a bigger part in the upbringing of their children, new rules will be introduced for those mothers who want to return to work before the child’s first birthday. Fathers will then be able to take some, or all, of the second half of the child’s first year as paid paternity leave.

The Government proposes introducing this new provision by the end of this Parliament, at the same time as extending Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) to 12 months.

New online tools

There are three new online tools for employers available on the Business Link website.

Written statement of employment tool.

It is a legal requirement that all employers produce a written statement of employment for all new employees within two months of starting work. The new online tool will allow employers to produce a statement for employees quickly and effectively without the need to seek specialist advice.

Redundancy calculation tool.

The redundancy calculation tool helps employers produce a written statement for employees showing the amount of a redundancy payment and how it has been calculated under the Statutory Redundancy Scheme.

Employment law checklist tool

The employment law checklist tool covers the main obligations a typically small employer can expect to have to address.