Employment Law – What’s in store for April 2024?

There are new regulations that are due to come into force under new employment legislation from April 2024.

They include:

• Employment Rights (Flexible Working) Act 2023
• Carers Leave Act 2023
• Protection from Redundancy (Pregnant and Family Leave Act 2023)

Employment Rights (Flexible Working) Act 2023:

The government will give employees the ability to request flexible work schedules. Currently, employees can only make one request for a flexible working schedule each year, and they are required to have worked for their employer for 26 weeks to be eligible. Under the new changes, this right to request flexible working begins from the first day of employment and employees have the right to make two requests within any 12-month period instead of one request as currently stands.

Carers Leave Act 2023:

The government have also announced that there will be an update to the current legislation regarding an employee’s right to take statutory carers leave. The update now ensures the right to take carers leave starts as soon as the employee begins their first day of employment. Under the act an employee is entitled to take one week of unpaid leave annually to care for dependants with long term medical needs.

Protection from Redundancy (Pregnant and Family Leave Act 2023):

Currently, employees on maternity leave are entitled to a higher standard of legal protection against redundancy than other members of staff. The current legal protections will extend to pregnant employees.

In essence this means that when employers are considering redundancies, certain steps will need to be followed to ensure protection for pregnant staff and those on maternity leave are treated as a priority. A failure to adhere to the necessary steps could result in a potential sex discrimination and/or unfair dismissal claim.

The Employment team at EMW are on hand to provide help and advice, please see contact details below.