Natwest Mentor

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR 2024 EMPLOYMENT LAW CHANGES?

With a raft of employment law changes taking effect in April 2024, this is a reminder of what businesses need to do to comply with the new and amended employment laws. Below are some of the key points to be aware of when reviewing your existing policies and procedures.

Paternity leave (Amendment) Regulations

From 6 April, fathers and partners are able to take leave as two separate blocks of one week, rather than only in one block of either one or two weeks. Only 28 days’ notice will need to be given (seven days for adoption), and leave can be taken at any point in the first year after the birth or adoption.

Employment Rights Regulations 2023 - Holidays for irregular hours and part-year workers

A new method of holiday accrual has been introduced for holiday years that start on or after 1 April 2024. Time off will accrue at the end of each pay reference period at the rate of 12.07% of all hours worked during that period. There will also be an option for employers to introduce rolled-up holiday pay for irregular hours and part-year workers.

Carer’s Leave Act 2023

From 6 April, all employees are entitled to take up to one week's unpaid leave in any 12-month period to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. Leave can be taken in half-day increments.

Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023

From 6 April the following changes came into force:

Requirement to have at least 26 weeks continuous service before making a flexible working request has been removed.

Employees can make up to two flexible working requests in a 12-month period.

Removal of the legal requirement to explain in the flexible working application what effect the change would have on the company and how it might be dealt with.

Reduction of the time limit on dealing with requests (including any appeal) from three months to two months.

A new ACAS Code of Practice recommendation that employees should be offered the opportunity to be accompanied at a flexible working meeting by a trade union representative (as an alternative to a work colleague).

Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy & Family Leave) Act 2023

Employees on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave have the right to be offered a suitable available vacancy if their job is made redundant whilst they are on leave. From 6 April, this right has been extended to cover the whole period of pregnancy, as well as 18 months after the date of the child's birth or placement for adoption

National Minimum Wage

New hourly minimum wage rates that will take effect for pay periods starting on or after 1st April 2024. There is longer a lower rate for workers aged 21-22. The

highest rate, £11.44 per hour, will apply to all workers aged 21 and over; those aged 18-20 will move up to £8.60 per hour; and 16-17-year-olds and apprentices (aged under 19 or in their first year of apprenticeship) will move up to £6.40 per hour.

Tips & Gratuities

In the pipeline (expected May 24), Employers will be required to fairly allocate tips and pay them to workers in full within a month of payment being made by the customer. Employers will also be required to have a written policy that sets out how tips are dealt with and maintain a record of their allocation with records kept for a 3-year period. Workers will then have the right to access the policy and records.

At NatWest Mentor, we can support you in creating compliant documentation which is kept up-to-date automatically for you, as well as our experts being

available over the phone to support you with any HR queries.

If you would like to find out more about how you can be supported please contact Bradley.perrott@Mentor.uk.com who is your local NatWest Mentor Representative.

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