Following the publication of the Employment Rights Bill (October 10 2024), RSM UK’s head of legal services, Charlie Barnes, comments: “The government has promised an overhaul of worker’s rights which the Bill does deliver in some respects. Day one unfair dismissal rights, the statutory process for probationary periods and the complexity that surrounds the use of zero hours workers will all place additional costs on employers who will have to get to grips with these changes. Hopefully, this complexity will be simplified and employers will be given time to understand the rules before any changes take effect. Whilst there are concerns that employment tribunals will, if not already, become overwhelmed, the formation of the Fair Work Agency may lighten the load given its wide remit. This must be carefully thought through to ensure that employers and workers are treated in accordance with the principles of natural justice when the FWA is exercising its enforcement powers.”