2020 Changes from the Good Work Plan

As we move into the new year and a new decade, it’s important to remember the key changes coming in based on the governments Good Work Plan. The Good Work Plan which was delivered in December 2018 was the government's initial response to the Taylor Report of 2017 and included new legislation to tackle issues discussed and recommendations made by the report. Initially the legislation has been created for England, Scotland and Wales.

The first is an extension of the right to a written statement to all workers – not just employees. This means all workers must receive a written statement from their employer on their first day of working. Currently, an employer has two months to give a worker such a statement. This means that companies should be preparing a written statement during the recruitment process. This is part of The Employment Rights (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019.

The statement must include but is not restricted to:

• Normal working hours and required working days
• Statement of how hours or days may vary
• Entitlements to paid leave (maternity, paternity etc not holiday or sick)
• Other benefits
• Probationary periods
• Training provided or required and if paid for by the employer

April 2020 will also see an increase in the holiday pay reference period rising from 12 to 52 weeks for workers who work different hours from one week to another. This means that employers will need to look back over the past 52 weeks, discarding any weeks that a worker did not earn, to calculate their average weekly pay up to a maximum of 104 weeks. This is part of The Employment Rights (Employment Particulars and Paid Annual Leave) (Amendment) Regulations 2018.