• Right to request time off for training

• A right to request time off to for the purposes of training will be introduced by April 2010. Modelled on the right to request flexible working arrangements, employers will be legally obliged to consider requests that they receive, but will be able to refuse a request where they believe there are “good business reasons” for doing so.
• Employers will not be obliged to meet the salary or training costs to enable a request for time off to train to be met. The right will be available to employees in organisations with 250 or more employees in April 2010, with the legislation being extended to cover all employees from April 2011.

• “Fit note” system - Spring 2010

• The government is seeking to introduce a "fit note" system, which allows doctors to indicate if a worker “may be fit for some work now”. The fit note will be issued by GPs and will outline what work an employee is capable of doing. The new regulations will also simplify the process of issuing notes for GPs and will permit GPs to issue statements printed by their practice’s computer systems (instead of just handwritten statements). The Social Security (Medical Evidence) and Statutory Sick Pay (Medical Evidence) Amendment Regulations 2010 come into force “Spring 2010”.

• Paternity leave and pay extended - April 2010 (for babies due from 3rd April 2011)

• Fathers will be granted up to 26 weeks maternity leave if the mother of the child returns to work before the end of the maternity leave period. The father will be allowed to take this additional paternity leave during the second six months of the child's life and may be paid if taken during the mother's statutory maternity pay period.

• Registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA)

• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 repeals all current barring legislation and gives the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) responsibility for deciding who should be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults. This process includes the voluntary registration with ISA for all new employees from 26 July 2010. Employers must check that the relevant employees are registered from 1 November 2010. Staff already working in a regulated activity and who have not moved into a new role with a new employer will be able to apply for registration from 1 April 2011, with mandatory registration by 31 July 2015.

 

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All information is general and further information should be sought through HR Practical Solutions Ltd or an Employment Law practitioner.