Tomorrow, Wednesday (6 April), a range of new legislation will come into force, amounting to significant changes in UK employment practices. Employers will have to amend their flexible working and retirement policies at a time of continuing economic uncertainty. A significant extension to paternity leave arrangements came into force on Sunday (3 April). The right to request flexible working will now be extended to parents of children under the age of 18; this currently applies to parents of children under the age of 17, or 18 if the child is disabled. The Government also intends to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees. Commenting on the upcoming changes, Charles Logan, director at Hays, said: "There is no doubt flexible working can be a key tool in attracting and retaining staff. Hays has found many organisations already offer flexible working policies to support employees. Therefore, the decision to create an additional administrative burden, legislating a move in practice that is already underway, should be questioned.
"Small businesses, on whose continued growth the UK is reliant, will struggle the most with this burden, as they do not have the HR resources of larger companies. "At the same time, new transitional arrangements to abolish the default retirement age (DRA) come into force, meaning employers will now be unable to issue new notifications of retirement. There is no doubt that older workers have a significant value to add to organisations, especially with so many skills shortages across different sectors. However, relying on an ageing workforce to pick up the slack for an ill-trained younger workforce is not a longer-term option. With youth unemployment at an all-time high, it is clear much more needs to be done to address the skills gap of the younger generation, enabling Britain to compete within the knowledge economies on a global scale. "Both the changes to flexible working and the retirement age represent a significant burden on businesses at a time when they are struggling to create new jobs. The Government must do more to provide clarity on how to implement changes. It must also take steps to consult with the UK business community on what legislation is needed and what can be supported right now."
