Make the most of employment law reforms

Much has been written about this year’s employment law reforms, mainly by employment lawyers looking to pick holes in the Government’s proposals.

However, there are ways in which shrewd business owners can use the legal changes to commercial advantage:

• Employment relationships sometimes do not work out, and it can become necessary to part company for all sorts of reasons. It is now much easier than previously to initiate a severance discussion with an employee without risking a potential claim. Employee expectations about compensation levels should also be easier to manage now that unfair dismissal awards have been further capped – so it should be easier to reach agreement over severance pay.
• “Employee shareholder” status may be somewhat limited in its scope, but it does present an interesting new angle for bringing on employees to ownership status, particularly in early stage businesses.  However, you will need to look carefully at implementation costs.
• The extension to all employees of the right to request flexible working could be a nightmare to manage, especially in businesses which rely on rostered working, or where continuity of service is prime. However, it should also be seen as an opportunity to retain valued staff members, who might otherwise be forced to leave due to their other commitments.

We will be looking in more detail at the opportunities and threats which the current employment law changes present, in our breakfast seminar on Tuesday 17 September from 7.30am until 9.00 am.

This is the first of five employment seminars over the coming months. Other topics include:

Tues 12 November 2013 – What employers need to know about tribunal claims
Thurs 23 January 2014 – Strategies for creating a lean workforce
Tues 18 March 2014 – Top 5 employment law issues for not-for-profit organisations
Thurs 15 May 2014 – Top 5 employment law issues for professional practices

 The seminars are suitable for directors, business owners, senior executives with responsibility for HR and risk management issues, Human Resources professionals and in-house legal advisors.

For more details about the seminars please visit our events page.