Three-quarters of the HR professionals surveyed about the new Employment Rights Bill are concerned about the introduction of day-one rights for unfair dismissal, and 58.4% of employers believe it will require the most resources to implement.
Workforce data and insights company Brightmine surveyed 274 HR professionals to gauge their reaction to the proposed changes.
Nearly half of those surveyed said that none of the proposals would bring a business benefit to their organisation but paternity and ordinary parental leave (24.8%) and statutory right to bereavement leave (24.1%) day one rights were believed to have the most benefit to organisations.
Stephen Simpson, content manager – employment law and compliance at Brightmine says: “As the UK welcomes the Employment Rights Bill, HR professionals are grappling over how to navigate its impact on both their employees and their organisation.
“By far the biggest impact for businesses and the one HR are most concerned about is the removal of the two-year qualifying period for unfair dismissal. Previously, the two-year qualifying period allowed employers more flexibility in managing underperforming staff with less than two years’ service. This might not seem drastic, and companies can still use probation periods, demonstrating that a fair process has been followed from the outset will put a lot of pressure on line managers, and will require the most resource to implement.”
“The key is not to wait until 2026,” says Simpson. “Employers must act now before the legislation comes into force, especially as a smaller business. Our advice is to conduct an audit of your current policies and processes now and ensure that all managers are trained in how to effectively manage the changes the Bill will bring in.”
