Zero hours consultation: Have you submitted your reposnse?

Agencies, umbrella companies, end clients and workers should use this opportunity to express their views on how the proposed rules may operate in practice, and any unintended consequences.

The proposals focus on three core areas: 

a right to guaranteed hours;

a right to reasonable notice of shifts and changes to shifts; and

a right to payment where shifts are cancelled, moved or curtailed at short notice.

These measures are intended to address what the government describes as “one-sided flexibility”. However, in the umbrella and agency sector, additional regulation risks creating unnecessary complexity where existing contractual arrangements already provide a baseline level of security.