We've already written articles focusing on changes to our flexible working regime and holiday pay. But what else is changing in April 2024?

Carer’s leave

With effect from 6 April 2024, employees who are responsible for the care of a dependent with long-term care needs will now enjoy a new right to an aggregate of one week’s unpaid leave in any 12-month period. The leave must be taken for the purposes of providing or arranging care. 

The unpaid leave can be taken in periods of half a day or more. However, employees must give their employer at least three days’ notice or, if greater, a period of notice twice as long as the period of leave requested. Requests for leave cannot be refused, but may be delayed in certain circumstances.

Given that the leave entitlement is unpaid, it remains to be seen whether take-up rates prove to be particularly high. After all, until now, employees may have frequently used their entitlement to paid holiday to cover these sorts of absences. Presumably, many will continue to do so.

Increased protection for pregnant employees and those taking maternity leave

Under regulations dating from 1999, where an employee on maternity leave finds themselves at risk of redundancy, they typically enjoy the right to be offered any suitable alternative employment available within the business ahead of any other employee. For some time now, consideration has been given to the question of whether the ‘protected period’ during which an employee enjoys this preferential treatment should be extended.  

Finally, with effect from 6 April 2024, the ‘protected period’ will now begin as soon as an employee informs the employer of their pregnancy and will continue, in most cases, until 18 months after the expected week of childbirth or the actual date of birth. Similar rules will apply in cases of adoption.

Changes to the paternity leave regime

The right to take a period of up to two weeks’ paternity leave has existed for more than 20 years. However, the number of employees taking paternity leave remains relatively low. So will new changes to this right have any impact on rates of participation?

Again, with effect from 6 April 2024, employees wishing to take paternity leave will enjoy the following additional flexibility:

• They will now be able to take paternity leave at any point in the period of 52 weeks following a child's birth (rather than just 8 weeks); and
• Rather than having to take either one week or two consecutive weeks’ leave, employees will be able to take their paternity leave as two separate weeks instead, if they prefer.

Do you need further help?

It’s fair to say that there is quite a lot going in in employment law at the moment. If you need more detailed advice on any or all of these changes, please get in touch.