Employment Rights Bill brings changes to agency workers and zero-hours contracts

Some of the most important changes within the Employment Rights Bill are those affecting agency and zero-hours work. Small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular depend heavily on them, so must use the time between now and 2027 to prepare.

Both agency and zero-hours workers will legally be able to ask for more settled working structures – probably at around the 26-week point of their employment. They will also be able to request a contract that fits their average number of hours per week. A third change will mean employers will be required to provide reasonable notice if they are cancelling shifts. Finally, agency workers will gain stronger security, pay and equality protections.

HR will need to look at all contracts and policies to ensure compliance and consistency. Businesses without dedicated HR teams may look to outsource these responsibilities to qualified HR services in Northampton.

These changes will mean greater costs for businesses and that SMEs have less room for manoeuvre there. Budgets will need to be re-examined and calculated with absolute precision, and firms must know exactly what the cost will be.

Given that organisations will have to provide reasonable notice of cancellations, work rotas will have to be worked out well in advance. Any changes will need to be communicated efficiently to workers too.

At FiveRivers Consulting, our outsourced HR services in Northampton can help you to prepare. For more information about what we do, check out our podcast on Apple.