Paternity leave has not been forgotten in the swathe of family related legislative changes taking effect in April 2024. However, anyone hoping for significant changes will be disappointed. The changes are limited to improving flexibility for eligible employees wanting to take the existing right to two weeks of statutory paternity leave. There is no increase in the leave entitlement, or to the level of paternity pay. The changes introduce the following flexibility: Allowing eligible employees to take their two weeks of statutory paternity leave in non-consecutive weeks (at present it must be t ..read more

The practice of fire and rehire has hit the headlines and been the topic of political debate in recent years. While the current UK government has rejected calls to outlaw entirely the practice, in early 2022 it committed to introducing a statutory code of practice to set out expected standards of behaviour and best practice. Our blog from 13 February 2023 considered the draft code as the consultation was launched. We now provide an update on the content of the new Code and explores some challenges and tips for employers faced with navigating a change of terms and conditions once the Code comes ..read more

After years of talk about improving the legal framework to promote more flexibility in the modern working environment, the UK is now on the cusp of changes to its statutory flexible working regime taking effect. Our blog post from August 2023 provides a background to reform and the changes as initially announced. We now provide an update on what is changing and when, and provide our top tips for employers preparing for and managing flexible working requests beginning in April 2024. What are the current flexible working rules in the UK? Under current statutory rules, employees with 26 weeks of ..read more

The principle of equal pay for equal work has been a keystone in German as well as European law for many years, and it is no secret that the reality in Germany, in particular with regards to the pay gap between men and women, is very different. The Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt) has been tracking the difference in pay between women and men in Germany since 2006. For 2023, they report that the average gross hourly earnings of women (EUR 20.84) were EUR 4.46 lower than those of men (EUR 25.30), resulting in an average of 18% less earnings per hour (which is the so called “u ..read more

Employers embarking on redundancy or restructuring exercises need to be aware of significant changes from 6 April 2024 to UK redundancy rules which give priority protection to employees on maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (SPL). The changes from 6 April mean that the period of priority protection will extend to 18 months following the end of leave and will also apply to pregnant employees from the day they notify their employer of their pregnancy. This is important because a failure to give priority protection can result in a redundancy dismissal being both automatically unfair an ..read more

The new year is a good opportunity for employers to review and refresh HR policies and procedures. One change that employers should be aware of, which came into effect at the end of October 2023, relates to when prison sentences become spent and therefore no longer need to be declared to prospective employers, which will have a knock-on effect for recruitment processes and paperwork. The changes to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 reduce the time people with certain criminal convictions are required to declare them to potential employers after serving their sentence. While the ..read more

2024 is set to be a busy year for employment lawyers and human resources professionals, with various new laws expected to come into effect during the course of the year which employers will need to proactively prepare for. We provide an at-a-glance guide of what changes take effect when. At a glance: Key legislative changes for 2024 Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE): From 1 January 2024 it is no longer a requirement for employers to consult with affected employees via representatives on a TUPE transfer if their business employs fewer than 50 employees, or (for transfers ..read more

With the 2023 winter work party season upon us, company, location, or team level seasonal gatherings provide a chance for employers to thank staff for their hard work and for everyone to relax, socialise and have some fun with their colleagues. Yet without careful thought and planning, they can be problematic for employers who can find themselves faced with fallout from the festivities. Here are our top ten tips and reminders for UK employers: See the party as an extension of the workplace: Just because an event is taking place outside working hours or at an external venue does not mean it is ..read more

In May 2023 we reported how the UK government made a series of announcements in respect of proposed reforms to two areas of law derived from the EU – the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) and the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR) – and launched consultations on its proposals. The government has now published a response to those consultations and the reforms it intends will go ahead, and which ones will not.  This blog explores the changes which will take effect, and which are expected to be in force from 1 January 2024. TUPE What is TUPE and wha ..read more

How has the Bill changed? The House of Commons have approved the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill (the Bill), albeit in a form that is significantly less onerous than had been originally proposed. As originally proposed, the Bill would have: imposed liabilities on employers for failure to take “all reasonable steps” to protect their staff from third party harassment (essentially seeking to re-create protections that previously existed under the Equality Act 2010, which were removed by the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2003); and created a new legal duty for emplo ..read more