April is that time of year when employment law changes take effect. Our handy timetable below outlines the major forthcoming UK changes and the key dates they occur. Any business with employees will need to keep abreast of this information and stay compliant with the law and minimum rates. Statutory rates have seen significant increases this year to reflect the high rate of inflation seen recently.
30 March 2023
Public sector organisations with 250+ employees must submit their Gender Pay Gap Reports on the Governments Gender Pay Gap reporting service website by today.
01 April 2023
National Minimum Wage rates increase as of today to:
- Apprentice rate: £5.28 an hour
- Young Workers rate (16-17 years): £5.28 an hour
- Development rate (18-20 years): £7.49 an hour
- Workers rate (aged 21-22): £10.18 an hour
- National Living Wage (aged 23+): £10.42 an hour
02 April 2023
Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental,and sick pay rates increase as of today to:
- Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental pay: £172.48 a week
- Statutory sick pay: £109.40 a week
04 April 2023
Private and voluntary sector organisations with 250+ employees must submit their Gender Pay Gap reports on the Government’s Gender Pay Gap reporting service website by today.
08 May 2023
An additional UK bank holiday on 08 May has been announced for King Charles III’s coronation weekend.
Our top tips for staying compliant:
- Ensure that your payroll processes are updated and the minimum statutory rates are changed in line with the above rates from their effective dates.
- Review any internal policies, processes or documentation that may specify the previous 2022-23 statutory rates are updated to the new 2023-2024 rates.
- Ensure that you have noted younger employees dates of births, and that statutory minimum wage rates are applied effective with increases in their age banding.
- If you haven’t already started yet, begin analysing your gender pay gap data and work on an action plan for improvement (where required e.g. businesses with 250+ employees).
- Communicate to your staff whether or not your business is open on the additional UK bank holiday on 08 May 2023 and if employees are expected to be available for work.
In the pipeline…
There are other forthcoming changes to employment law for 2023/24 in the pipeline that you may need/want to know about. We can keep you updated with developments in these areas if you sign up to our mailing list. These include:
- Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill – timeframe by December 2023 but likely push back
- Carers Leave Bill – day one right for up to five days unpaid leave for dependents/care – in consultation
- Flexible working – moving from a six month to a day one right – anticipated in 2023
- Fire and Rehire – new statutory code on dismissal and reengagement – currently in consultation
If you have any questions about the content of this email and the forthcoming employment law changes, or if you would like advice on managing the additional bank holiday day for your business, please contact us to discuss your options. Contact Nockolds HR Team by emailing enquiries@nockoldshr.co.uk or by calling 0333 400 7920.