David Hudson attended 10 Downing Street on 11th September to discuss the government’s new Employment Rights Bill and their plan to ‘Make Work Pay’.
David, who is Managing Director and owner of The HR Dept Clapham, Highbury & Islington and part of The HR Dept national franchise, was invited to 10 Downing Street by Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Prime Minster, to meet her and other senior ministers alongside several senior SME leaders to share straight-talking feedback on the upcoming changes.
The meeting underlines the government’s commitment to work collaboratively with the business community on the policy proposals.
Whilst there is cautious optimism about the intent of the Bill and the changes it will bring, David shared concerns raised by his clients about the unintended consequences the new employment legislation will bring:
“Our clients are pro-growth and create opportunities to build and grow their workforce in a non-exploitative and ethical way every day, which is one of the principles of the new employment legislation which we support. I have urged Ministers to recognise the reality our clients face, which is that the more complicated and restrictive the legislation, the less time they will have to focus on the economic growth which is a cornerstone of government policy. There are practical implications to introducing significant changes and simply issuing codes of practice only goes so far to help employers. Our clients often don’t know where to start with employment legislation and need proper guidance and support, a space within which The HR Dept has become the go-to experts for hundreds of businesses across the UK”.
The new Employment Rights Bill has been heralded as the most significant change in employment law for decades, and one of its aims is to be more reflective of modern-day society. Unfortunately, it comes with increased costs for employers and will create an increased need for employment documentation and practices to be up to date and compliant to avoid potential fines and claims. There are changes that employers will simply not be able to avoid.
At this morning’s meeting, David shared that the ambitious ‘first 100 days’ implementation plan makes for good press coverage but at this point, clients are nervous because of the lack of clarity and ‘pre-warning’ of what’s coming.
The Deputy Prime Minister and senior Ministers gave their reassurance that they want a ‘level playing field’ so that employers can operate in the best way possible but recognised that the changes will be challenging. We welcome the opportunity to have open, constructive dialogue with government and other regulatory bodies and will continue to work hard to be the voice of our clients.
The HR Dept is a nationwide network of HR professionals, who provide support for over 6,000 clients across the UK. They have created actionable support for small business owners to prepare themselves for the upcoming employment law changes. More information can be found at hrdept.co.uk/employment-rights-bill.
