Employment law changes: 10 proposals in the pipeline for HR

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Amid all the political turmoil in July, employers will be forgiven for missing a flurry of proposed new employment laws revealed as Theresa May’s tenure in 10 Downing Street came to its end. Many of the proposals are still under consultation, so it is unclear the extent they will be written into law – especially given the current political uncertainty around Brexit. But if they are taken forward they will fulfill some of the promises made in last year’s Good Work plan and strengthen workers' rights in numerous areas.   1. Right to reasonable notice of work schedules and compensation for cancelled shifts Under proposed rules under consultation until October, workers would be entitled to “reasonable” notice of their work schedule. What would be considered "reasonable" is as yet unclear, but the government has said employers would incur a penalty if they fail to do this. If a worker’s shift or hours are cut at the last minute the worker would be entitled to compensation, under a new rule also contained in the “one-sided flexibility” consultation. Options for the level of compensation awarded include: the amount the worker would have earned from the hours or shift; their national minimum wage (NMW) rate multiplied by the number of hours cancelled; and a set multiple of their NMW rate. 2. Extended redundancy protections for new parents and neonatal leave