Employment Rights Bill is a landmark moment for British workers’ rights, says CIPD

The CIPD has welcomed the ambition behind the new Employment Rights Bill to help improve job quality and raise employment standards in Britain. There is a lot to support in the Bill but we remain concerned about some of the details in the proposals and are committed to ensuring the final design of the legislation reflects the insights and expertise of our profession. 

What the Employment Rights Bill means for British workers and employers 

The proposed changes represent the greatest shift in employment legislation in decades, and working through the detail will take time.  How and when changes are introduced will have to be carefully managed, supported and communicated. 
 
There are many measures in the Bill the CIPD and our members support. For example, proposals to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay, improve bereavement leave and to further boost the provision of flexible working.  
 
But some elements of the bill have raised important questions that need to be clarified. For example, if the unfair dismissal qualifying period is to be replaced with a new statutory probationary period, it will be important that new probationary rules are simple for employers to implement and don’t increase the cost and risk of hiring and managing new staff. 

It's a lot for businesses to absorb, and smaller businesses that don’t have dedicated HR support will particularly need time and support to work through the changes, to ensure the right outcomes for individuals and for business. 

Play

What the Employment Rights Bill means for the people profession

The road to implementation will be long and all eyes will be on the people profession to make it a success.

We’re pleased to have participated in the tri-partite Government roundtables on the Bill so far and will continue to be part of the consultation process. We’ve been engaging with our senior members across all sectors and will continue to do so to ensure the voice and expertise of the people profession inform the final design of new legislation. 

To support with your understanding of the Bill, the UK Government has published explanatory notes which explain what each part of the Bill will mean in practice; provide background information on the development of policy; and provide additional information on how the Bill will affect existing legislation in this area.

What the people profession can expect from the CIPD

As your professional body, we’re here to help you understand how the proposed changes impact your work, and support you to maintain your expertise and credibility with our carefully curated content:  

• Member exclusive tracker with the latest employment law changes and how to prepare. 
• ‘Focus on Make Work Pay’ web page with all the latest on developments. 
• Response and comment in our People Management Magazine. 

In the weeks and months to come, you can also expect: 

• A special episode of the People Pod podcast, discussing the key themes and issues that have arisen from the Bill.  
• A CIPD webinar where we’ll provide a detailed overview of the key elements of the Bill. 
• Regular updates to our content, as and when there are developments 
• Further opportunities to feed your views into government consultations.