Written By:

Damian Phillips

Partner 

Darwin Gray

 

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With a raft of employment law changes expected in the rest of 2023, commercial law firm Darwin Gray give you the key developments to look out for.

Employment law is constantly changing. However, 2023 is shaping up to be lively even by employment law standards.

Upcoming potential changes to keep an eye on:

Flexible working

A Bill is currently working its way through Parliament which will make the right to request flexible working a right from the first day of an employee’s employment. Currently, an employee needs to have been employed for 26 weeks before they can make a request.

Neonatal care

Another Bill progressing through Parliament will give parents of children receiving neonatal care the right to up to 12 weeks of leave.

Carer’s leave

This Bill will introduce an entitlement to 1 week’s paid leave for employees providing or arranging care for a dependent who they care for.

Redundancy protection for those on maternity leave

This Bill will extend the period during which employees on maternity leave should be offered alternative employment when their role is at risk of redundancy.

Duty to prevent sexual harassment

If passed, this Bill will introduce a duty on all employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment occurring in the workplace. It would also re-introduce the potential for employers to be liable for harassment carried out by a third party – e.g. sub-contractors or even customers.

Right to predictable working pattern

This Bill would give employees or workers the opportunity to request a predictable working pattern.

Brexit reform

Whilst still very much up in the air, there is at least a possibility that many areas of UK employment law will be revamped considerably by the Retained EU Law Bill. Areas which could see change include working time, holiday, TUPE, part-time working, fixed-term working and agency law.

Keep an eye on our monthly email updates for further news on all of the above.

If you need any further help or advice, please contact Damian Phillips on [email protected] or 02920 829 126 for a free initial chat to see how we can help you.