We hope you are all well and looking forward to Easter Weekend. Is it really almost April!
April also marks the start of the employment law changes we have been helping our GMA HR clients to prepare for since the beginning of this year. We’ve worked on the changes to your handbook policies, and we will be issuing the updated handbooks throughout April/May.
The recap of each of the forthcoming changes is as follows:
- Increase to National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage Rates from 1 April 2024
- Changes to Holiday Rules from 1 April 2024
- Changes to Flexible Working Requests from 6 April 2024
- Changes to Paternity Leave from 6 April 2024
- Carer’s Leave Regulations 2024 from 6 April 2024
- Changes to Statutory Guarantee Pay from 6 April 2024
- Changes to Statutory Redundancy Pay from 6 April 2024
- Increase to Statutory Sick Pay from 6 April 2024
- Changes to Compensatory Award for Unfair Dismissal from 6 April 2024
- Redundancy Protection Changes from 6 April 2024
- Increase to Statutory Rates including Maternity, Paternity and Adoption from 7 April 2024
Increase to National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage Rates from 1 April 2024
The table below summarises the changes to the national minimum wage rates from 1 April 2024:
Changes to Holiday Rules from 1 April 2024
For holiday years beginning on or after 1 April 2024, holiday entitlement for part year and irregular hours workers can be calculated by taking 12.07% of the hours worked in the pay period. Rolled up holiday will also be permissible from this date for part year and irregular hours workers only. This is a contractual change. For GMA HR client’s we will be adding it to part-time contracts where appropriate.
Changes to Flexible Working Requests from 6 April 2024
The Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations (SI 2023/1328) come into force and remove the requirement for employees to have at least 26 weeks’ service to be entitled to make a flexible working request. This will now allow employees to request flexible working from day one of their employment and are allowed to make two statutory requests in any 12-month period. For GMA HR client’s this amendment has already been made to your handbook.
Changes to Paternity Leave from 6 April 2024
The change to paternity leave means that paternity leave may now be taken in the first 52 weeks after birth or adoption, and in two separate weeks, rather than in a two-week block immediately after the birth or adoption.
Carer’s Leave Regulations 2024 from 6 April 2024
Employees may be entitled to up to a week of unpaid leave to undertake caring responsibilities under the Carer’s Leave Act 2023. The right to take carers’ leave begins from day one of employment and this can be taken by the individual employee to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need.
Changes to Statutory Guarantee Pay from 6 April 2024
The new rate for statutory guarantee pay will increase from £35 to £38 per day. This is used where Short Time Working or Lay Off comes into effect.
Changes to Statutory Redundancy Pay from 6 April 2024
A week’s pay for statutory redundancy pay will increase from £643 per week to £700 per week.
Increase to Statutory Sick Pay from 6 April 2024
The new rate for statutory sick pay will rise from £109.40 per week to £116.75 per week.
Changes to Compensatory Award for Unfair Dismissal from 6 April 2024
The maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal will rise from £105,707 to £115,115.
Redundancy Protection Changes from 6 April 2024
The Maternity Leave, Adoption Leave and Shared Parental Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2024 will extend redundancy protection during pregnancy and for the period of 18 months after the birth or placement of a child for those taking maternity, adoption, or shared parental leave.
Increase to Statutory Rates including Maternity, Paternity and Adoption from 7 April 2024
The new rate for statutory leave pay includes statutory shared parental, maternity, adoption, paternity, and parental bereavement pay which increases from £172.48 per week to £184.03 per week.
As always if you have any questions regarding the above or if you’d like to discuss these or any other points further please give one of our employment law specialists a call or get in touch via our Contact Form.