If the answer to that question is no, do not fear you are not alone. It has been reported that a staggering 65% of Employers do not know what it is. This is probably because of the timing of this….it was April 2020…..we all had a worldwide pandemic to handle. The Good Work Plan 2020 brought the biggest upgrades to employment law in a generation.
It is the government’s agenda for the gradual implementation of the vast majority of the recommendations made by Matthew Taylor in his 2017 report on modern working practices in the UK. Most of the 53 recommendations put forward in the Taylor review were accepted in principle and culminated in the government’s Good Work Plan, which they claimed in their ‘vision for the future of the UK labour market.’
What changes were made in 2019
-The right to a payslip extended to cover all workers – as well as employees
-Payslips must now outline hours worked for hourly paid.
-An increase in the maximum penalty for aggravated breaches of employment law
Since 6 April 2020, the Good Work plan brought significant changes to the law on statements of main terms (you probably refer to this as your contract of employment);
-Statements need to be received by the employee no later than the first day of their employment.
– this extended to workers also, they have the same rights as employees to a written statement on or before the first day of employment, no matter how long they are employed for;
-The list of information that is included in that statement has now been extended to include;
- the days of the week the employee/worker is required to work, whether the working hours may be variable and how any variation will be determined;
- any paid leave to which the employee/worker is entitled;
- details of all remuneration and benefits;
- any probationary period;
- any training entitlement provided by you, including whether any training is mandatory and/or must be paid for by the worker;
- the notice periods for termination by either side; and
- terms as to length of temporary or fixed-term work.
Within two months of their start date employers must provide additional information on pension entitlement, disciplinary procedures and collective agreements with trade unions or staff associations.
Agency workers
Since 6 April 2020 the use of the Swedish Derogation Model contracts was banned. This means that if an Agency worker is on assignment for 12 weeks or more, they are entitled to the same treatment as permanent staff with respect of basic pay etc.
The Good work plan has changed the way we employ people across the country and there are still changes to come. Some other upcoming changes will be;
-The right to a zero-hour worker to switch to a more stable contract
-Workers offered protection over the tips they earn
-Measures put in place by the Government to improve the clarity of employment status tests
-Extension to the period of time required to break continuous service
My advice would be if you have not had your contracts of employment reviewed since before 2020, then now is the time to have this actioned and make the necessary updates. As a valued member of DIB, we will offer a complimentary health check to discuss any gaps you may have in your current documentation and processes.
Please state DIB22 to claim this health check when contacting HPC – contact@highperformanceconsultancy.com