From 26 May 2015, employers can no longer employ workers on exclusive zero-hour contracts. These new rules were firstly introduced by the last government and were passed into law under the small business, enterprise and employment bill, which came into force this week.
The changes will give workers more freedom and control over their working hours. In practice this could see a worker holding multiple contracts with numerous companies. This could offer greater financial security to workers, but at the same time companies reliant on their labour could be left with out cover if workers are also employed else where.
There are also concerns over how any further regulation could affect the flexible labour market and the practice of employing staff for many companies that are reliant on zero hour contracts. Now that exclusivity has been banned, many companies may need to review their recruitment and contracts.
We will keep you up to date with any further development, if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact your Hazlewoods representative. We can also put you in contact with our in-house HR Consultancy, should you need to gain advice on these changes.