The clock is ticking, and April will be here sooner than you think. So, what is the big fuss? You may have seen a lot of publicity for the Good Work Plan, which is essentially a new set of rules coming into place affecting businesses of all sizes, big and small.
There are a lot of changes which will come into force and one of the most significant changes is that providing a statement of main terms will become a day one right. This means, from April, you will need to provide your workers with a statement of main terms on or before their first day of employment.
In addition to this, the government have stated that more information will need to be included in the statement of main terms which will mean that it will need to be more detailed. It will need to state the following:
- Whether there is a probationary period and whether any conditions are imposed;
- Whether hours of work which the worker will need to undertake are variable or not variable, and if they vary, how they vary;
- Make any reference to paid leave, such as maternity and paternity leave;
- List any benefits to which the employee is entitled;
- Confirm any training to which the employee is entitled or required to complete;
In addition to the information listed above, another significant change is that the holiday reference period will be increased from 12 weeks to 52 weeks. This means that if you employ workers on irregular hours, you will need to take an average of their pay over 52 weeks rather than 12 weeks to calculate their holiday pay.
Now is the perfect time to get your contracts and handbook in order so that you are ready to go in April.
Feeling out of your depth with the Good Work Plan? We can help; contact us by giving us a call on 0115 870 0150 or email us on support@guardian.online.
