[UK] Zero-hours contract workers can request predictable hours

Small business owners in the UK will soon have to offer predictable hours to their short or zero-hours contract workers, as a new employment bill comes into effect, unless they can provide a good reason not to do so, SmallBusiness.co.uk reports.

After 26 weeks of service, a zero-hours worker can request a more predictable pattern of hours. Small business owners will then have to give their decision within a month, rather than the three month decision-making window of flexible working requests.

Business owners will reportedly be permitted to refuse a request for predictable hours for reasons including a detrimental impact on their ability to meet customer demand or additional costs.

Speaking to The Times, Wie-Men Ho  - legal director in employment for the consumer sector at Eversheds Sutherland - said that employers who turn down zero-hours predictable hours requests could face discrimination issues if the employee making the request needs them for a reason such as their caring responsibilities.

Workers will have the right to go to an employment tribunal if they believe the request was not handled reasonably.

The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill, which is backed by the government, will come into law within 12 months.

The bill is reportedly one of seven private member’s bills addressing workplace rights going through Parliament in the absence of the employment bill - announced in the Queen’s Speech in 2019 - which has never been introduced.

Among the other bills is a change to flexible working allowing employees to request it from their first day in the job.

Under the new bill, the predictable hours request from zero-hours workers is more wide-ranging than the existing right to request flexible working which only applies to full-time employees.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) - which backs the right of workers to request more predictable hours after 24 weeks of working for an employer - states that zero-hours contracts only account for 3 per cent of total employment.

Despite MPs comparing such contracts to “Victorian” working practices, their popularity is on the rise. Four-fifths of zero-hours contracts employees reportedly told the CIPD they were satisfied with their contacts; which can be particularly beneficial for carers with unpredictable hours.

Source: SmallBusiness.co.uk

Small business owners in the UK will soon have to offer predictable hours to their short or zero-hours contract workers, as a new employment bill comes into effect, unless they can provide a good reason not to do so, SmallBusiness.co.uk reports.

After 26 weeks of service, a zero-hours worker can request a more predictable pattern of hours. Small business owners will then have to give their decision within a month, rather than the three month decision-making window of flexible working requests.

Business owners will reportedly be permitted to refuse a request for predictable hours for reasons including a detrimental impact on their ability to meet customer demand or additional costs.

Speaking to The Times, Wie-Men Ho  - legal director in employment for the consumer sector at Eversheds Sutherland - said that employers who turn down zero-hours predictable hours requests could face discrimination issues if the employee making the request needs them for a reason such as their caring responsibilities.

Workers will have the right to go to an employment tribunal if they believe the request was not handled reasonably.

The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill, which is backed by the government, will come into law within 12 months.

The bill is reportedly one of seven private member’s bills addressing workplace rights going through Parliament in the absence of the employment bill - announced in the Queen’s Speech in 2019 - which has never been introduced.

Among the other bills is a change to flexible working allowing employees to request it from their first day in the job.

Under the new bill, the predictable hours request from zero-hours workers is more wide-ranging than the existing right to request flexible working which only applies to full-time employees.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) - which backs the right of workers to request more predictable hours after 24 weeks of working for an employer - states that zero-hours contracts only account for 3 per cent of total employment.

Despite MPs comparing such contracts to “Victorian” working practices, their popularity is on the rise. Four-fifths of zero-hours contracts employees reportedly told the CIPD they were satisfied with their contacts; which can be particularly beneficial for carers with unpredictable hours.

Source: SmallBusiness.co.uk