Employment Law: Key Changes in 2020 | January 2020

As we enter a new year it is always wise to consider the changes ahead in the area of employment law. Are you ready for the changes taking effect from 6 April 2020?

We reported last month on the changes to the written statement of particulars of employment. If you missed this you can read it here.

So, what else is changing?

Increase to the period over which holiday pay is calculated

Known as the ‘pay reference period’; presently if a worker undertakes variable or irregular working hours you are required to calculate their holiday pay by working out the average hours worked over a 12-week period. This is being extended from 6 April 2020 to an average calculation over a 52-week period or the total number of weeks they have worked, where this is less than 52 weeks.

Increased protection for agency workers

Agency worker rights are changing with effect from 6th April 2020: Contracts will no longer be permissible where an agency worker waives their rights to equal pay with their permanent counterparts, after 12 weeks working at the same assignment.

After 12 weeks all agency workers will be entitled to the same rate of pay as their permanent counterparts.

Agency workers who are considered to be employees, will be protected from unfair dismissal or if they suffer a detriment for asserting their rights under the Agency Worker Regulations.

Other changes on the horizon

There are still some aspects of the Good Work Plan https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/good-work-plan/good-work-plan  for which implementation dates and/or consultation timeframes are yet to be finalised. The key changes to keep a look out for in 2020 are:

  • An increase in the gap which constitutes a break in service
  • Right to request a stable contract
  • Consultation on rights to reasonable notice of working hours and changes to shifts
  • Protections for unwell and disabled workers
  • The establishment of a single labour body

Keep watching this space for further employment law updates!


cHRysos HR Solutions is a Doncaster based HR training and consultancy company providing CIPD and CMI accredited qualifications nationwide, as well as HR Consultancy to SMEs. For more information about how cHRysos HR can help you return to study and achieve further qualifications contact us on info@chrysos.org.uk or call +44 (0)1302 802128

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cHRysos HR Solutions are a UK wide HR training and consultancy company offering CIPD accredited qualifications, Apprenticeships, Training and HR Services to SMEs. For more information about how cHRysos HR can help you or your teams successfully achieve further qualifications, contact us on info@chrysos.org.uk or call 03300 562443.