The Work Couch: Employment Rights Bill: What employers need to know, with Patrick Brodie

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast series where we explore how your business can navigate today's tricky people challenges and respond to key developments in the ever-evolving world of employment law.

On 10 October 2024, 100 days - or thereabouts - since Labour gained power, the government published the first draft of the Employment Rights Bill, a Bill which businesses and employment lawyers have been eagerly anticipating, and which commentators are saying heralds the most significant and far-reaching reform to employment rights in over 40 years.

We await further detail on how each of the employment law reforms (28 in total) will operate in practice, and we expect the Bill to evolve and alter as it progresses through parliament and enters the consultation phase. However, to provide an initial overview of seven of the most ground-breaking reforms, host Ellie Gelder is joined by Patrick Brodie, partner and head of RPC's employment, engagement and equality team.

They discuss:

• Removal of the two-year qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal protection;
• Requiring employers to allow flexible working "where practical";
• Changes to employer liability for harassment of its employees, including amendments to the forthcoming new proactive duty to prevent sexual harassment of employees during the course of their employment, which is coming into force on 26 October 2024;
• New restrictions on employers using "fire and rehire" measures to impose detrimental changes to employees' terms and conditions;
• Widening the scope of the collective redundancy consultation obligations set out in s.188 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992;
• Family-focused reforms, including changes to eligibility for paternity leave, ordinary parental leave, statutory sick pay and bereavement leave; and
• Complex reforms to the law on zero hours contracts and guaranteed working hours.

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The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.