The Good Work Plan
01 Mar 2019
Here’s a tricky question for you?
Have you heard of the Government’s Good Work Plan?
Thought not. For something which could have some pretty major repercussions for the way many of us work, it’s flown a little under the radar.
The plan was unveiled just before Christmas and is designed to improve protection for those working in the Gig Economy, including agency workers and individuals on zero hour’s contracts.
Its key proposals include:
- Requiring all employees and workers to be given a statement of their terms of employment on or before their first day of work. This statement must also give detail of pay for all periods of absence, including maternity and paternity leave, and will be a legal requirement from April 2020.
- Increasing to four weeks the period required to break continuous employment from its current one week.
- Increase the maximum fine by 400 per cent to £20,000 for employers shown to have used ‘malice, spite or gross oversight’ in breaching employment rights. This will come into effect on April 6 this year.
- Basing variable pay on a 52-week reference period rather than the current 12-week standard, to iron out variations in seasonal pay. This will be introduced in April 2020.
- New legislation to clarify employment status.
- Legislation to ban employers from making deductions from staff tips.
- Creating a single body to better protect vulnerable workers and ensure aspects of legislation such as the National Minimum Wage are enforced.
- Change Agency Worker regulations from April 2020 to ensure they must be paid the same as comparable employed staff.
That’s a pretty important set of changes and there is still some doubt when some of them will be introduced.
But the direction of travel here seems pretty clear. The Government is moving to bring employment law more closely into line with changes in employment practices to provide clarity for employers and employees alike.
Of course, that is going to mean some important changes to your policies, procedures and paperwork – and we are here to help.
Just click the button for your free consultation and we’ll tell you everything you need to know to make sure your company knows everything it needs to know to have a Good Work Plan firmly in place.
