Small businesses are being urged to prepare for three major changes to employment law coming into force in October.
An exclusive report by Startups.co.uk, speaking to HR consultants about the changes, has highlighted the areas businesses need to prepare for, including Employment Tribunal claims, sexual harassment and trade union rights.
From 1 October, the time limit for bringing the majority of Employment Tribunal claims will double from three to six months. This includes claims relating to discrimination, unfair dismissal and unlawful wage deductions.
Jasia Kazmi, an employment lawyer at Witan Solicitors, said that the longer timeframe could make it harder for businesses to respond to claims, as memories can fade and employees may have moved on.
Businesses are being advised to keep good records of conversations, decisions, performance issues and grievances so they can provide evidence if a dispute is raised months later.
The second major change comes on 30 October, when employers will have a greater duty to prevent sexual harassment. This will include harassment carried out by third parties such as customers, clients and contractors.
Juliet Irving, Director of HR Operations at Impact HR, said businesses need to consider interactions with customers, contractors, service users and members of the public, rather than just relationships between employees.
This could have a particular impact on customer-facing businesses such as hospitality, retail and healthcare.
Businesses are being advised to carry out workplace risk assessments, particularly for public-facing and lone-working roles, introduce a clear harassment policy and train staff and managers.
They should also consider updating supplier and client contracts so that action can be taken if harassment occurs.
New trade union rules will also come into force on 30 October. Employers will have to give workers a written statement informing them of their right to join a trade union.
Independent trade unions will also gain a statutory right to request access to workplaces, either physically or digitally.
Grace Pariser, founder of HR On Call, said the written notice requirement could be more likely to be missed because there is no-one specifically chasing employers to provide it.
The new rules around workplace access do not mean that businesses have to recognise a union, and employees remain free to decide whether they want to join or engage with one.
Businesses with fewer than 21 workers will also have some protection, as the Central Arbitration Committee cannot impose a statutory workplace access agreement on them. However, the written notice requirement still applies regardless of the number of employees.
With three significant changes arriving within four weeks, HR consultants are encouraging small businesses to review their policies, record keeping and staff training before the new rules come into effect.
