Author: WebDev

The amendments to the Employment Rights Bill 2025 have taken another leap in the legislation process and are one step closer to being released and are expected to come into force in 2026. 

The Employment Rights Bill 2025 is important for all employers, HR representatives, and, of course, employees, and is one of the biggest overhauls of employment laws of this generation, creating a mass reconstruction of the current employee laws.

Currently, after a back and forth, the House of Commons is reviewing all the suggested changes from the House of Lords, before it goes back to them for further assessment. 

So let’s go through some of the biggest changes to the Employment Rights Bill 2025 

Statutory Sick Pay 

Currently, in the Employment Rights Bill 2025, statutory sick pay (SSP) is £118.57 per week, paid by the employer for up to 28 weeks. To be eligible for SSP, a three-day waiting period is required (unless the employee has had sick pay in the past eight weeks), and the employee must earn a minimum of £125 per week.

 

In the amendments to the Employment Rights Bill 2025, SSP will become available from the first day of sickness, scrapping the three-day waiting period, and every employee will qualify. The payment routine will stay the same; however, for those earning below £125 per week, a payment will be calculated at 80% of their current rate, or the flat rate will be applied – whichever is lower. 

Zero-Hour Contracts 

In the current Employment Rights Bill 2025, a zero-hour contract means that the employee is not guaranteed any hours of work and is used to offer work only when it is available. This contract still allows those on it to be entitled to statutory employee rights; however, the contract was designed for two-way flexibility, and evidence suggests it has been exploitative towards employees.  

The amendments to this section of the Employment Rights Bill 2025 have been designed to restrict the exploitative side of zero-hour contracts. It suggests that employers should offer employees on zero-hour contracts guaranteed hours of work that reflect the number of hours they have worked over a period of time. The preference for this period of time is 12 weeks; however, it has not been confirmed. 

To qualify for this amendment, the employee should be on a zero-hour/sub-zero-hour arrangement or even a low-hours arrangement. The offer of guaranteed hours may be exempt if, within 12 weeks, the employee resigns, is fairly dismissed, or their temporary contract ends. 

The amendments to the Employment Rights Bill 2025 include reforming the rights to reasonable notice to shift changes, notices, and cancellations. 

Agency Work 

An agency worker is someone who works through an agency, temporarily for a hirer – some models will work through an agency. Key aspects of an agency contract are that they must receive two information sheets showing how they are paid, how much they are paid, and how much they deduct, among other things.

In the reformed version of the Employment Rights Bill 2025, agency workers have the right to be offered guaranteed work the same way those on zero-hour contracts are, yet the end hirer must be responsible for this, and the agency can still include fees such as transfer fees. However, they are both jointly responsible for shift notices. 

Start preparing for the amendments of the Employment Rights Bill 2025 

These will be in place before you realise, so beginning to prepare for their implementation is reasonable. Whether as ad hoc HR or retained HR, by partnering with an HR Solutions company like us to help you navigate these new rights, we will ensure that you are prepared and ready for all these changes. To begin these preparations, don’t hesitate to contact us today.

With the social world rapidly changing and growing, the working sphere needs to be accommodating to the rising behavioural sensitivities of employees. But with rising mental health and neurodiversity, gaining HR support services has never been so important. 

So why is navigating the new age of employee wellbeing and behavioural sensitivities important and requires HR support services? 

What are HR Support Services? 

 At Blue Tree HR Solutions, we offer a range of HR support services, whether as a retained HR service or Ad hoc HR (as and when required). Whatever you need, whether disciplinary support for an employee’s behaviour or for reviewing handbook policies. 

We are here for any guidance you may require, offering telephone advice or face-to-face meetings. As our primary clients are small businesses, we work for all your HR needs, whether big or small. 

Why Behavioural Sensitivities Matter 

With neurodivergence on a swift rise, being aware of behavioural sensitivities and mental health issues is imperative. 

Our HR support services include working with employees, offering training and education on subjects such as mental health, neurodivergencies, and managing behavioural sensitivities. A benefit of our HR support services is the employee assistance programme, Health Assured. This offers 24/7 wellbeing support and up to 12 counselling sessions per employee per year.

Having an employee assistance programme means having a more positive working environment, ensuring employee satisfaction is greater. Working with mental health is a difficult task, but improper support and HR make it that much harder, but with an employee assistance programme, it can increase morale significantly. 

Challenges Employers Face 

Without HR support services, employers can be unsure on how to comment on sensitive behaviour without crossing the line. This can lead to grievance issues being avoided and a decrease in morale or further issues developing, which is a slippery slope without HR support services. 

A major difference that employers may struggle with in regards to employee wellbeing and behavioural sensitivities is having cultural and generational misunderstandings. We live in a rapidly changing world, and miscommunication and misunderstandings can be a massive challenge in workplace disagreements, and without HR support services, it can be a difficult system to navigate. This can cause many employees to become uncomfortable with the systems in place and lead to a range of emotional and legal complications without proper care. 

A further challenge is the misinterpretation of burnout being disengagement. Without well-being structures in place, employees can struggle with their personal life, which slips and blends into their work life. Without HR support services such as Health Assured, employees’ work can be viewed as subpar and wrongly grievanced or even dismissed. 

How to Face These Challenges 

A good way to face these challenges is through using HR support services and setting up systems that help employees facing mental health issues and behavioural sensitivities. Alongside some expert HR advice, employee training on these topics can immensely help navigate employee wellbeing and ensure the company is adapting to the changing society. 

Another way to facilitate mental sensitivities is by promoting peer support, normalising conversations about mental health to ensure employees feel comfortable talking about mental health problems. 

Using HR Support Services to Navigate Employee Well-being 

Employee well-being can be simple with support and expert HR advice, and with extra attentiveness, it can elevate employee morale and ensure that your small business doesn’t fall into any potential legal issues. HR support services are imperative to any company, especially surrounding mental health and behavioural issues. 

For more information on any of our HR support services, feel free to check out our website here, or for support navigating behavioural sensitivities in your company, don’t hesitate to contact us!