Are you ready for 2018’s employment law changes?

Nothing stays the same for long in the world of people management and employment law, you never quite know what is going to happen next.

We saw the abolition of tribunal fees in July 2017, when the supreme court found them to be illegal. When tribunal fees were brought in there was a 70 per cent drop in tribunal claims due to employees being less willing to initiate costly proceedings – this has created a sense of complacency among employers.

These issues will need to be addressed as employees and ex-employees are more likely to chance a claim with the removal of the cost barrier. It was anticipated there would be an increase in the number of tribunals. The quarterly statistics from The Ministry of Justice show this to be true as they report a 66 per cent increase in overall tribunal fees between July and September 2017. Given this, employers should make sure their policies and procedures are compliant and fit for purpose.

It’s also important to refresh your management team’s understanding of what is required when dealing with people. Having procedures in place is one thing, ensuring those good practices are embedded in the business is quite another.

We’ll see more change in the employment world in 2018 with gender pay gap reporting for public and private sector employees and the changes to the taxation of termination payments in quarter one of the new year.

In May 2018, The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Act will also come into action and formulate the new data protection framework. The changes in this legislation will bring new obligations that will have a significant impact on how organisations manage their information, not least the data they hold about their employees.

For more information on how new and upcoming legislation could affect your business, contact Helen on 01772 395013.

Find out more about HR Compass, Harrison Drury’s specialist employment law product. HR Compass comprises three core components designed to offer seamless financial and business continuity protection for businesses. These include an employment law health check, expert fixed-fee employment law advice and an insurance policy to protect against the cost of employment claims.