Employment law changes – prepare for April 2020
April is often the time in the year where employers are required to adhere to changes in employment legislation. April 2020 is around the corner and this year there are many more changes than normal that may impact businesses in our industry.
Not only may you want to review your existing contacts with your employees, but some of these rules may require you to scrutinise the employee/worker status of people you work with. Below we have detailed some of the changes to expect.
To learn more, PLASA are hosting a one-day training session with leading HR expert Nicky Gleadow on 25 March in London: Employment Law Updates from April 2020 – get ready to comply!
Nicky Gleadow is the Managing Director for The HR Point with 14 years experience working in HR, providing consultancy services to small and medium sized employers.
During the session Nicky will help you identify the actions you need to take to ensure your organisation is compliant with the new legislation from April onwards.
2020’s big changes…
1. Holiday pay reference period
To ensure workers with variable pay get fair holiday pay, the reference period on determining average pay will increase from 12 weeks to 52 weeks.
2. Statement of main terms (SMTs)
The government is extending the entitlement to a statement of ‘written particulars’ to include workers as well as employees. From 6 April 2020, all new employees and workers should be provided with a ‘written statement of particulars’ from their first day of employment. There are also changes to what should be included, including: how long the job is expected to last for, how much notice has to be given to end the contract, eligibility for sick pay, details of all paid leave they are entitled to, all remuneration and benefits (not just pay), details of specific days and time they are required to work, and details of all training entitlements (such as requirement and details of training that will not be paid for by the employer).
3. IR35 extended to private sector
All medium and large companies will be responsible for deciding the employment status of the off-payroll workers they engage with from 6 April 2020 and ensuring they pay any tax and NI they are deemed responsible for.
4. Additional changes
Other changes include the increase of statutory rates for maternity, paternity, shared parental leave and sick pay, new entitlement of parental bereavement leave, and tax changes for termination payments.