Hiring and firing – the new rules

There are several changes in employment law this year and everyone needs to be aware of them.

Sarah Buxton is Dental Employment & HR Associate Solicitor at FTA Law. She says: ‘Employment law is constantly changing and is one of the fastest moving areas of law. It is therefore important that, as an employee, you keep up to date by reading articles, such as this, to ensure that your employer is also keeping up to date. If in doubt, and you feel unfairly treated then always seek advice from a legal advisor.’

The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 are set to come into effect this month (6 April), which will require companies to publish information about what they are paying their male and female staff. This information will be shown on both the business's website as well as a government site. Firms employing more than 250 people will have to calculate the mean and median hourly rates of pay for both male and female employees, and publish the difference between the two genders. They will also have to do the same for bonuses. The idea is to encourage businesses not to discriminate based on gender.