Focus on…government plans to Make Work Pay
This month we’ve focused on unpicking what Great Britain’s new Employment Rights Bill will mean for workers, employers and people professionals – and ensuring our profession’s insights and expertise are well represented in consultations to shape the detail of the proposed changes.
In the coming months, our ‘Focus on’ series will cover topics including workplace skills and productivity, and the impact of AI in the workplace, but we’ll continue to keep you up to date as more details around the Employment Rights Bill emerge.
Keeping you up to date with changing employment law in the UK
As your professional body, we’re here to give you the confidence and know-how to keep your workplace fair, inclusive and compliant. We’re constantly reviewing the employment law landscape and updating our knowledge hub to ensure you have all the right information at your fingertips. Here’s a snapshot of what’s new this month:
The UK Chancellor’s Budget – what you need to know
The budget will provide welcome support for some working people and for hard-pressed public services. However, the increased business costs announced in the Budget, alongside the raft of changes planned to employment regulation, are bound to act as a headwind to growth. There are real risks that together these measures could disrupt many employers’ recruitment and skills investment plans.
Is your team prepared for new legal duty to prevent sexual harassment?
From 26 October 2024, the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill places a new duty on employers in the UK to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment. Tribunals will have the power to increase compensation by up to 25% if they find an employer has breached this duty. We’ve updated our guidance on tackling sexual harassment in the workplace, to reflect new guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
What does Ireland’s Budget 2025 mean for HR teams?
According to Finance Minister Jack Chambers, Ireland’s Budget 2025 will provide tax and social welfare benefits for employees while strengthening communities, building prosperity and enhancing living standards as it secures future economic growth. We’ve unpacked the measures that are most relevant to the people profession.
After recent claims, where next for equal pay?
Charles Cotton, CIPD senior adviser on pay and reward, explains the recent cases on equal pay claims and explores how you can protect yourself as an employer while also paying people fairly.
Managing short-term sickness absence
Short-term sickness absence is one of the main reasons for unplanned absence in the workplace and can be challenging for people professionals to deal with. The CIPD/Simplyhealth 2023 Health and Wellbeing at Work survey found that employee sickness absence is at the highest level for over a decade, at 7.8 days per employee, per year.
This guide for people professionals outlines the guiding principles needed to support employee health and wellbeing and to reduce short-term sickness absence. It also offers an overview of relevant legislation to be aware of when dealing with short-term absence, and advice on how best to shape the relevant policies.
Our top picks from the CIPD community
Our popular and trusted discussion forums provide a safe, open space for people professionals to share advice and insights on the issues they’re facing in their day-to-day roles. Discussions this month included:
