October 27, 2026 1:37 pm
Published by SKHR
As you will be aware this Friday the duty on employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace becomes law. So what are the minimum steps we recommend for all employers: 1. Ensure that you have a policy on anti-bullying and harassment and that this clearly explains that sexual harassment will not be tolerated in the workplace from employees or third parties. The policy should also explain that complaints will be taken seriously and that staff will be supported should they need to report any such incidents. 2. Run annual training on anti-bullying and harassment with a focus on sexual harassment for all staff and keep records of attendees. Train managers in how to handle complaints regarding bullying and sexual harassment. 3. Conduct a risk assessment annually and keep a...
October 26, 2026 4:35 pm
Published by SKHR
From 30th October trade unions will have the right to visit and communicate with workers in the workplace. This will apply to all employers with 21 or more workers. If the employer does not agree to a trade union’s request for access, the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) can decide whether access should be granted and on what terms. There is also a Code of Practice setting out how the access regime should work in practice. Why should trade unions have the right to access the workplace? The purpose of the right is to meet, support, represent, recruit or organise workers, and to facilitate collective bargaining. However it cannot be used to organise industrial action. What can trade unions do once they gain access to the...
July 2, 2026 4:01 pm
Published by SKHR
Given the forthcoming changes to the qualifying service needed to claim unfair dismissal now is the time to schedule review dates for any employees joining your organisation from July onwards. This is because any employee who joins your business from July 2026 onwards is likely to have completed six months’ service by 1 January 2027. Subject to the Government’s planned employment law reforms coming into force as expected, employees who are still employed on that date will gain the right to claim unfair dismissal. That’s a huge change. Until now, employers have generally had two years before an employee gained unfair dismissal rights. While there have always been exceptions (for example, discrimination and whistleblowing claims), employers have had a relatively long period in which to decide whether a...
April 23, 2026 11:08 am
Published by SKHR
Statutory sick pay (SSP) payable from day one of sickness From 6th April employees who are off sick no longer have to wait 3 days to receive statutory sick pay as this is payable from day one of absence. All employees are eligible for SSP regardless of their level of earnings. Those staff earning less than £123 a week will receive 80% of SSP. Employees only receive SSP for the days they are contractually required to work. They need to report their absence by the end of their first day of sickness. However do note that new employees who have yet to start work will not qualify for SSP if they immediately go off sick. Paternity leave and Parental leave become...
January 21, 2026 8:14 pm
Published by SKHR
Employment Rights Act 2025 As you will have heard, the Employment Rights Bill is due to become the Employment Rights Act 2025. So what does this mean for employers? Well the biggest change will be that employees will be able to claim unfair dismissal once they have six months’ service. This is likely to take effect from January 2027. Action required: Ensure that your contracts of employment include a probationary period of 6 months and that line managers are reviewing employee performance from 2 months onwards, so that new staff are given a chance to address issues and if they are not meeting the standard of performance required they are given notice before 6 months. Changes due in April 2026: – Paternity leave Currently to take...
January 14, 2026 3:26 pm
Published by SKHR
Is cancer automatically considered a disability and can an employer cover an employee’s period of absence permanently? In Wainwright v Cennox Plc an employee was diagnosied with breast cancer and took a period of sick leave. A colleague was appointed to temporarily cover the employee’s position in her absence. When the temporary cover threatened to leave she was offered the cover role as a permanent position. On their return from sick leave the employee with breast cancer raised a grievance which was not upheld and went on to win her claim for disability discrimination and constructive, unfair dismissal. She was awarded over £1.2M. This case highlights the importance of only making temporary changes when covering the role of an employee who is off sick. As with employees on maternity leave it is best practice to keep in...
September 4, 2025 12:23 pm
Published by SKHR
As you will recall the Government proposed various changes to Employment law under the Employment Rights Bill. Many of these proposed changes are still being debated in Parliament and the House of Lords. However to give you an update I thought it timely to summarise some of the proposed changes and give an indication of the likely implementation dates: April 2026 – Paternity leave: Currently to take paternity leave a parent needs 26 weeks’ service. This will change so that all parents will be eligible for paternity leave from day one of employment. Recommendations: Family friendly policies will need to be updated in due course – Parental leave: Currently to take (unpaid) parental leave a parent needs one year of service. This will change so...
July 10, 2025 12:57 pm
Published by SKHR
What is statutory minimum notice from employer to employee? Statutory minimum notice is the minimum notice employers need to give employees when terminating their contracts:- Staff with less than a month’s service: no notice– Staff with 1 month to 2 years’ service: 1 week’s notice– Staff with over 2 years’ service: 1 week per year of service up to a maximum of 12 weeks How much notice do employees need to give employers?Employees need to give employers at least a week’s notice after one month of service.However contractual notice overrides statutory notice so always check your contracts to ensure you are not in breach. When can I pay in lieu of notice (PILON)? You can only pay in lieu of notice where there is an express...
May 15, 2025 3:50 pm
Published by SKHR
Under the Data Protection Act 2018, individuals have the right to request the personal data that you hold on them. A request for such information is called a ‘subject access request’. The right permits individuals to see the information that you process about them, not to actually receive a copy of the information. However, it is likely that the easiest way to allow the individual to see the information is by sending a copy of it to the individual. Personal data A subject access request must be in relation to an individual’s personal data, including special categories of personal data. “Personal data” is any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier, including a name. “Special...
October 21, 2024 5:01 pm
Published by SKHR
So what are the proposed changes to SSP, statutory leave and protection for pregnant employees? Statutory sick pay (SSP) What is the law currently? Currently employees are only entitled to SSP from the fourth day of sickness as long as they meet the lower earnings threshold (currently £123 per week). What is changing? The waiting period for SSP and the lower earnings threshold will be removed and when this is introduced all workers will be entitled to SSP from their first day of illness. Parental leave and paternity leave What is the law currently? Currently male employees needs 26 weeks’ service to take two weeks’ paternity leave within 52 weeks of the birth of a baby. Parents need one years’ service to take...
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