As we approach the end of what has been a very busy year for employment law, it is time to start thinking about what changes are coming in employment law in 2015.

1. As mentioned in our previous blog parents of children born on or after the 5 April 2015 will be able to share their parental leave depending on their own individual requirements. This change will have a potentially huge impact for employers who will have to manage employees? requests and respond to them appropriately.

2. From the 5 April 2015, statutory adoption leave will no longer have a 26 week qualifying period and adoption pay will be brought in line with maternity pay, which will be 90% of normal earnings for the first 6 weeks.

3. A health and work assessment and advisory service is to be introduced by the Government. This will offer free occupational health assessments for employers, employees and GPs.? This service can provide occupational health assessments after 4 weeks of sickness absence.

4. The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill (?the Bill?) is anticipated to be in force in 2015. This Bill introduces a new system of financial penalties for employers who fail to pay an award ordered by an employment tribunal. These penalties will be subject to a minimum of ?100 and a maximum of ?5000.? If the employer pays the original award to the claimant and the financial penalty to the Secretary of State within 14 days, then the financial penalty will be reduced by 50%.

5. Provided that they meet the eligibility criteria, surrogate parents will be permitted to take ordinary paternity leave and pay, adoption leave and pay and shared parental leave and pay. Both parents will also be entitled to take unpaid time off to attend to antenatal appointments with the woman carrying the child.

6. The Bill also introduces financial penalties for failure to pay the national minimum wage. There is currently a ?20,000 maximum penalty in place for the failure to pay the national minimum wage.? However, this Bill amends the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 so that the ?20,000 maximum penalty applies in respect of each worker that is underpaid.

7. The Bill will also amend the Employment Rights Act 1996 by introducing a definition of a zero hours contract and render exclusivity clauses unenforceable.

As ever we aim to keep you abreast of all these changes as and when they come in and we wish you all the best for 2015.