Quick Guide: UK Employment Rights Bill

Employment Rights Bill Implementation Roadmap

ADP UK’s Head of Payroll Product Compliance, Ben May ChMCIPPdip MBCS has provided a summary of the Employment Rights Bill Implementation Roadmap
On 1st July the Government published the Employment Rights Bill Implementation Roadmap, setting out the timeline for measures in the Bill to come into effect. You can read the full report here.

So what is a draft bill and how does it become law?

Depending on who initiates a draft bill, and the complexities of its content, it will go through various stages in each of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. At each stage, members of the house may propose changes to be considered and included.

Typically, a bill may start in the House of Commons, pass to the House of Lords, come back to the House of Commons following the Lords’ amendments, and the new version with amendments be approved by the House of Commons and then given Royal Assent.

After Royal Assent is given, the bill becomes an Act of Parliament, which is in effect law. Sometimes Acts require amendments to secondary legislation in addition to the new legislation being enacted. More information here.

As with much of the Employment Rights Bill, the main emphasis is on the employer/employee relationship. That mostly translates to contractual obligations, HR policies and practices. The direct impact to payroll software and payroll processes are minimal compared to the overall scope of the bill. Some of the areas with a more significant payroll interaction are explored in this article.