The gig economy and zero hour contracts have recently been under scrutiny due to the lack of expected workers’ rights. A new legislation has now been introduced to improve the employee’s understanding of their rights, including eligibility for paid and sick leave.
The new legislation to be introduced on Monday will mean staff would have to be told details of their rights from their first day in a job. Workers would also be given the right to request more predictable hours.
The reforms are based on the findings of a review
into modern working practices led by Matthew Taylor, a former aide to ex-PM Tony Blair and chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts.
It is now expected that the legislation will:
- close a loophole that had allowed agency staff to be paid less than permanent employees
- ensure firms will have to provide a “statement of rights” on the first day of a person’s employment, setting out what paid leave they are entitled to, including for illness, maternity and paternity leave
- increase the maximum fine employers face at a tribunal from £5,000 to £20,000, if they are found to have demonstrated “malice, spite or gross oversight”
- ensure that companies will have to calculate holiday pay based on 52 weeks, as opposed to 12 weeks, so people in “seasonal or atypical roles get the paid time off they are entitled to”.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
“Today’s largest upgrade in workers’ rights in over a generation is a key part of building a labour market that continues to reward people for hard work, that celebrates good employers and is boosting productivity and earning potential across the UK.”
With these changes being put into action, it is essential that businesses prepare themselves with an effective workforce management (WFM) solution. ShopWorks are currently helping a number of businesses manage their complex time & attendance and staff scheduling requirements.
Specialising in Hospitality, Leisure and Retail makes ShopWorks the perfect partner to implement cloud-based WFM software.
Many of our customers have multiple pay rules for the same person, dependent on the job role they have been scheduled to complete. This combines with the simple drag-and-drop scheduling tool which reduces the time taken an often lengthy and complicated task.
The software offered by ShopWorks will allow manager’s to automatically calculate any accrued holiday throughout the year. The new reform has now made this essential.
For any more information on how the ShopWorks time and attendance solution can improve the management of your staff, as well as reduce direct costs by an average of 7%, click below:
