The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published new guidance for employers on the duty to prevent sexual harassment at work, containing a checklist, action plan and monitoring logs.

This is an interesting decision in the recent case of Finn v (1) British Bung Manufacturing Co Ltd (2) King [2023]. Mr Finn brought claims including a claim of sex-related harassment in relation to Mr King’s comment referencing his baldness.

In Hunter v Carnival plc the Employment Appeal Tribunal looked at the protection provided by regulation 10 of the Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations 1999 and whether it should ‘bite’ to keep an employee in role where the number of roles was reducing but not disappearing completely. 

The right to guaranteed hours is the mechanism the Government has chosen to 'ban' zero hours contracts.  There is a consultation on this but we do have a strong steer from some of the provisions in the Bill.

A deeper dive into the Employment Rights Bill and what this means for employers.

The Government has announced details of the Employment Rights Bill, which will be introduced in Parliament later today.

The Bill will bring forward 28 individual employment law reforms, including measures on ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts and ‘fire and rehire’ practices, and establishing protection from unfair dismissal from day one of employment.

 The government has already published a statutory Code of Practice, providing guidance to employers and workers in tipping industries, on the fair and transparent allocation and distribution of tips. Last week, the government added to this by issuing non-statutory guidance.

On 19 September 2024, it was reported by the Financial Times that, in connection with Labour's pledge to provide protection from unfair dismissal as a "day one" right, employers will be able to put new employees on probation for up to six months.

The Employment Rights Bill timeline outlined by the Government allows for a gradual transition with lots of time for consultation.   With most reforms not taking effect until 2026, it is nevertheless a perfect time to start reviewing your policies and considering how and when you might want to make adjustments to ensure you’re ready when the changes come into effect.