At Harris Recruitment, we know that the work you do is deeply personal.
For many of you, your workplace is someone’s home. You may be the only member of staff there—building trust, offering support, and often becoming an important part of someone’s daily life. Whether you are employing someone or working in a home, that relationship matters, and it deserves to feel safe, fair, and well supported.
With new employment law changes coming into effect this April, we wanted to share a clear and gentle update on what’s changing—and what it might mean for you.
What’s Changing from April 2026
These updates are part of a wider plan to make working life fairer and more supportive. April brings some important first steps, with further changes to follow over the next year or so.
Stronger Rights from Your First Day (in Some Areas)
From April, certain family-related rights now begin from day one of employment, including paternity leave and unpaid parental leave.
- For those working in private homes, this offers reassurance that some important protections are there from the very beginning.
- For those employing staff, it’s a reminder of how important it is to have clear, simple agreements in place from day one.
Statutory Sick Pay from Day One
One of the most meaningful changes—especially in home-based roles—is to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
- SSP is now payable from the first day of illness (instead of after three waiting days)
- The minimum earnings threshold has been removed, meaning more people are eligible
- For staff, this provides greater financial security if you become unwell.
- For employers, it helps ensure that those supporting you don’t feel pressure to work when they shouldn’t.
A Continued Move Toward Flexible Working
While not all changes happen immediately in April, there is a clear shift toward more flexible working being the norm.
- For staff, this means you should feel more comfortable having open conversations about your needs.
- For employers, it’s about listening and working together to find arrangements that respect both care needs and personal wellbeing.
In home-based roles, we understand flexibility can be more complex—but open, honest communication remains key.
Greater Protection and Support Where It’s Needed
There are also stronger protections being introduced for workers who speak up about concerns, including around inappropriate behaviour.
Alongside this, a new body—the Fair Work Agency—is being introduced to help ensure that workplace rights are properly upheld.
- For those working alone in a home, this is an important step in making sure you feel protected and heard.
- For those employing staff, it offers clear guidance and support in getting things right.
Clearer Expectations and Fairer Working Relationships
While not all changes come into force this month, the overall direction is toward clearer communication around pay, responsibilities, and expectations.
In roles based in the home—where there is often no wider team—this clarity is especially important. It helps prevent misunderstandings and supports a respectful, balanced relationship on both sides.
Why This Matters in Home-Based Work
When one person is working in another’s home, the usual workplace structures aren’t there. There’s no HR department—just people relying on each other.
That’s why these changes matter.
They are there to support:
- Clearer conversations
- Fairer expectations
- Safer, more respectful working environments
Not to complicate things—but to help relationships work well for everyone involved.
Looking Ahead
It’s important to know that April 2026 is just the beginning. Further changes are expected later this year and into 2027, continuing this shift toward stronger protections and more balanced working relationships.
We’ll keep you updated every step of the way.
How We’re Here to Support You
We understand that working in, or managing, a home-based role can sometimes feel isolating.
As a small, dedicated team, we’re here to offer personal support—not just at the start, but throughout your journey.
- If you’re employing someone, we can help you feel confident that everything is set up clearly and fairly.
- If you’re working in a home, we’re here to listen, answer questions, or simply talk things through if something doesn’t feel quite right.
A Final Thought
The heart of this work is trust, kindness, and respect.
These changes are there to support that—not to take away from the personal nature of what you do.
If you’d like to talk about how this affects you, or just want some reassurance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re always here, and we genuinely care about getting this right for you.
Supporting you every step of the way
Best Wishes
Julia Harris
Harris Recruitment
Following the Government’s commitment to introduce significant reform to employment law, the Employment Rights Bill (“Bill”) was published on 11th October 2024, together with a “Next Steps” document.
There is no set date for the Bill’s introduction; however, it is widely reported that October 2026 is the likely date.
We set out below a summary of the key points: –
- Unfair Dismissal
The current two year service qualifying requirement is to be removed and employees will have the right to claim unfair dismissal from day one, provided they have started work. There is to be a consultation on a new statutory probationary period. It is rumoured that this will be a period of nine months.
- Fire and Re-Hire
It will be automatically unfair to dismiss an employee for refusing to accept a contract variation, except where the business will not survive without it.
- Zero Hour Contracts
Workers will have the right to a guaranteed hours contract to reflect the number of hours they have worked in a relevant reference period. They will also have the right to reasonable notice of a shift cancellation or changes to a shift.
- Flexible Working
The changes will require employers to explain why they consider it reasonable to refuse an application on one of the grounds already exists.
- Statutory Sick Pay
SSP will be paid from the first day of sickness and the lower earnings threshold is to be removed.
- Redundancy Consultation
The trigger for collective consultation which is currently determined based on individual establishments will instead be dependent on the number of redundancies across the whole business.
- Paternity, Parental and Bereavement Leave
Paternity Leave and Parental Leave will become day one rights. Bereavement Leave is to be extended, although the detail of the relationship required with the deceased is not clear. Leave for loss of a child will remain at two weeks, whereas all other bereavements will be one week.
- Protection for Pregnancy and New Mothers
There will be increased protection for pregnant women and new mothers, including whilst pregnant and within six months after returning to work.
- Sexual Harassment
Employers will be subject to a new duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees.
The Bill also reverses the position in relation to third party harassment. It prohibits an employer from permitting an employee to be harassed by a third party and requires all reasonable steps to be taken to prevent this.
Allegations of sexual harassment will also fall to be protected under the whistleblowing legislation.
- Equality Action Plans – Gender Pay and Menopause
Employers with over 250 employees will be required to have action plans for gender pay reporting and to support employees going through menopause.
- Trade Union and Collective Rights
There are various measures to reinforce the above and increase protection. One measure likely to be a general application to all employers is that employees’ terms must include confirmation of their right to join a trade union.
- Enforcement Agency
The establishment of a Fair Work Agency will bring together existing enforcement powers and also enforce rights such as holiday pay.
There are certain matters that the Bill does not include but that the Government has committed to implement in the future as outlined in its “Next Steps” document. These include:-
- A right to switch off, preventing employees from being contacted out of hours except in exceptional circumstances.
- A requirement for large employers to report their ethnicity and disability pay gap.
- A move towards single status of workers and transition towards a simpler two part framework for employment status.
- Review of parental leave and carers system.
- Review of Health and Safety guidance and regulations, including neurodiversity and long Covid.
- Raising collective grievances.
This note is a short overview of the measures and further details will follow. If you require any additional information or would like to discuss anything in more detail, please contact one of the team.
Paul Stedman, email: Paul.Stedman@bbslaw.co.uk, telephone 0161 302 8380
Vicky Beattie, email: Vicky.Beattie@bbslaw.co.uk, telephone 0161 302 8342
Christina Glover-Hill, email: Christina.Glover-Hill@bbslaw.co.uk, telephone 0161302 8364
The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 (“the Act”) received Royal Assent this year and is expected to come into effect in or around September 2024.
What does the Act do?
The Act creates a new right for workers to request more predictable working conditions. Similar to the right to request flexible working, the right is to request predictable working conditions. It is not a right to those working conditions.
A worker who meets this criteria can make an application under the Act to change their work pattern, provided it is with a view to getting a more predictable work pattern.
Who will the Act apply to?
The Act applies to any worker where there is a lack of predictability in relation to the work that the worker does for the employer or in regards to any part of the worker’s work pattern. This covers a range of things, namely: the number of hours worked, the days of the week worked, the times worked on those days, and the length of the contract.
The broad nature of this list means that a wide variety of workers and employees will likely be entitled to make an application under the Act. Providing they meet the criteria, agency workers will be able to apply to their agency or to the hirer to request a more predicable working pattern.
The government has indicated that the worker must have worked for their employer for 26 weeks to make an application under the Act, and must have worked continuously for at least 12 weeks during that 26 week period.
How will it apply in practice?
The right to request more predictable working conditions will operate in a similar manner to the right to request flexible working.
The worker must specify the change they are requesting and the date it is intended to take effect. A worker can make a maximum of two applications in a 12 month period.
Employers will have to deal with requests in a reasonable manner, and may refuse only on a specific business-related ground specified in the legislation, including costs to and other negative impacts on the company.
A worker who has their right refused cannot challenge the rejection itself; they can only claim in relation to a procedural failing by the employer (e.g. a failure to respond, or a rejection for a reason given other than one of the specified business reasons). The amount of compensation awarded for such a failure will be set by regulations in due course. If it mirrors the flexible working regime, it could be limited to eight weeks pay.
When will the Act come into effect?
It is anticipated that the Act will come into effect in or around September 2024. Draft regulations and an ACAS Code of Practice should be published in the intervening period, which will enable Employers to update their policies and procedures in preparation for when the Act comes into force.
For proactive, lateral thinking and cost-effective legal advice, contact BBS Law to discuss your needs.
Email: mail@bbslaw.co.uk
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A lot can happen in 25 years. Children grow up. Families might grow. You might start a new business and watch it change and develop. In all cases, the secret is in adapting to whatever challenges you might be called to face.
In our 25 years of business, Harris Recruitment has seen the recruitment sector transform, but we have never lost sight of what our goals and principles have always been. We provide a bespoke service to our clients and match them with carefully chosen applicants to create the right fit. That has been and will always be our foundation.
I founded my first business, North West Childcare (now trading as Harris Recruitment), in March 1999.
I had been looking for a nanny for my own children and I was unsatisfied with the standard of help available at that time. I knew that I wanted the service I provided to be different. I knew what parents like me needed.
From the very beginning, my standard for applicants is whether I would feel comfortable having them work in my home with my children. I knew that if it wasn’t good enough for me, it couldn’t be good enough for my clients.
After this, I decided to branch out and apply these recruitment principles to other avenues. First, I set up The Housekeeper Company, providing housekeepers and other domestic staff to clients nationwide, and then The Carer Company, providing companion/carers in households. In every case, we have always kept sight of our mission.
Whether it was a matter of childcare, homecare, or elder and disabled care, we are presenting clients with someone they trust with the important things in their lives. That’s why we’re not just in the recruitment business, we help people build relationships that last, built on respect and trust.
I like to think that the reason why I am a respected voice in domestic recruitment, with thousands of successful placements under my belt, is because I never forget why it is that I do the work I do.
I have been consulted for my expertise by government ministers and cross-parliamentary groups about overseas domestic workers and advised the Home Office on skills shortages in the care sector.
I’m proud of everything that the companies that make up Harris Recruitment today have achieved.
With every successful placement, I know that I have given someone the help that their household needed. Honestly, that’s what keeps me going after 25 years.
Julia Harris
For more information, please visit our website: www.harrisrecruitment.co.uk. We will be pleased to receive any queries you may have and help you to begin your journey.
Inviting someone into your home is difficult. It requires a level of trust and openness that you wouldn’t need if you were hiring an employee for an office job. However, using a professional domestic recruitment agency to find suitable candidates for roles like childcare providers, housekeepers, carers, and other domestic staff offers several benefits. In a world where every service can be handled directly, in this case using more general online directories like Gumtree, Indeed or Childcare.co.uk, it can be easy to forget the benefits of having an expert service to help find the staff that’s right for your specific needs.
Professional domestic recruitment agencies specialise in finding candidates that fit the domestic roles a client has requested. With a wealth of experience under their belts, they understand the unique requirements and challenges of hiring individuals to work so closely with your family. This specialised expertise helps them to identify the right candidates who possess the necessary skills and experience to perform these roles successfully. Recruitment agencies typically have a thorough screening and vetting process for candidates. They conduct background checks, verify references, visa status, and assess qualifications. This ensures that candidates have the necessary skills, experience, and reliability required for the job.
Agencies take the time to understand your household’s specific needs and personal preferences. Because they make a point of being thorough, they can match you with candidates who they think are a good match in terms of their skills, personality, and suitability for your household’s requirements. They may also have previous knowledge of a candidate, having dealt with them before.
By contrast, managing a recruitment process on your own through a directory would be difficult, time-consuming, and potentially overwhelming, especially if you’re the one who must review applications without having experience in vetting and choosing candidates. An agency handles the entire process. They source candidates, conduct initial interviews, and save you time and effort.
Recruitment agencies often have a wide network of relevant candidates to draw from. They prioritise quality in their candidate selection, creating a shortlist of suitable candidates that they present to the client, often after a through interview and vetting process.
What the best agencies aim to do is offer candidates who are not only qualified on paper, but ones that align with your household in terms of personality. Recruitment agencies guide you through the entire process, including contract negotiations, terms of employment, and legal considerations. This ensures a smooth onboarding process for the successful candidate once the client has decided.
In terms of confidentiality, you may have specific requirements or preferences that you’d like to keep private. In this scenario, a recruitment agency can maintain confidentiality during the hiring process. A responsible recruitment agency must make sure that their clients and candidates feel safe and protected throughout the hiring process.
In conclusion, online directories lack the specialised focus and rigorous screening that professional agencies offer. While they can be useful for many other types of job searches, using a specialised agency for domestic work roles can often yield better results, ensuring that you find the right candidate for your home and family.
The complicated challenge of returning to the workplace after having a child is something that many new parents will understandably struggle with, at least once. Likely, the office culture and dynamics have subtly changed since you’ve been gone, and you might be worried about where you fit back into it. So, how can you make your workplace re-entry as smooth as possible and avoid adding to the stress of balancing a job and a family? This blog seeks to deal with the timing of your return, how to manage your workplace relationships, and how to get the support you need.
By working part-time at first, you can learn how to do your job differently, removing the pressure of frantically juggling your demanding new home life. You can learn to prioritize and concentrate on the things you can be reasonably expected to do and understand what you can’t make time for. However, it is important to be aware of the message this sends to your team and communicate whether you plan to return to working full-time. Going back full-time immediately allows you to resume your career without changing expectations, but it is important to be flexible and to consciously avoid burnout.
At some point, you need to have an honest conversation with your employer about your new realities that acknowledges how you are having to readjust. A reiteration of your commitment to your role and team, will nevertheless be a crucial step in re-establishing relationships, even while you clarify realistic boundaries. Similarly, it is also as important to candidly communicate and manage relationships with your colleagues as you settle into creating a healthy new work life. It’s just as important to be direct about how and when you will be able to work as it is for them to be adaptable.
It’s important that you view your professional life is a moving process and part of that process is not having to go through it alone. It’s important to seek support and encouragement, either in your personal circle, an online support community, or colleagues who have been through the same thing. It’s also important not to neglect another crucial relationship that can be its own source of emotional support, the one you have with your child. The support network that involves and interacts with you and your child are critical in the development of your new personal and professional status quo.
An ever-growing number of Britons are working well past retirement age because they enjoy their jobs. The number of people still working over 65 tripled in the last 20 years, recently reaching 1.4 million. It is set to keep growing as people continue to live longer and remain healthier. Many older people say they have become attached to their workplaces, and employers often prize their skills and knowledge. The trend contrasts with the traditional idea of retirement after 65 and comes even though the government increased the state pension age beyond 65 only in 2020.
Many older workers have also found that continuing to work provides financial security in their later years. With rising costs of living and uncertain pension plans, having a steady income can make all the difference. With the increasing age of retirement, older workers can continue working in their chosen field, using experience and expertise to make valuable contributions.
Many employers are recognising the value of older workers and are actively seeking to keep them. Companies such as John Lobb and B&Q are realizing the benefits of their experienced and skilled employees and are actively encouraging them to stay on past retirement age. Research has shown that older workers are often more productive, reliable, and committed. They bring experience, knowledge, and wisdom to work, sometimes acting as mentors for younger employees. Also, by working longer, older workers can stay socially connected, and maintain their mental and physical health.
Moreover, the economic benefits of older workers are not just limited to their productivity and knowledge transfer. Working longer also allows individuals to save more for retirement and reduces the burden on pensions. It can also help to combat ageism in the workplace and challenge societal stereotypes about ageing and retirement. It’s important for employers and policymakers to support this and ensure that older workers are valued and respected. Retirement is not for everyone and there is much that can be gained working later in life.
The trend of older people continuing work after the usual retirement age is not only a response to economic pressures but reflects the change in attitudes towards work. For many, work means purpose, structure, and social connection that they don’t want to give up. The benefits of continuing work in later life go beyond financial security to include improved physical and mental health. As the population gets older, we must recognise the older workers who want to continue working and contributing.
They just can’t get the staff! The dilemma facing the 0.01% | Times2 | The Times
Whilst I enjoyed reading the light fluffy piece about the lack of help available for the UHNW 0.01%, I really feel that the article missed the point and did not see the very real problem, facing many “normal” families all over the UK at the moment, which is the lack of people available to help in the home, with childcare and elder care and which in my opinion is every bit as serious as the lack of lorry drivers.
As was stated in the article the demand for domestic staff and help in the home has never been higher as families who have been working from home, are now trying to get back to a sense of normality and return to working in offices etc.
I really feel that Helen Kirwan-Taylor missed an opportunity to look into the more serious side of the whole domestic sector and whilst I understand that it is not nearly as entertaining as writing about people who are worrying that they won’t have anyone to turn down their beds at night etc, it is a real shame that she did not talk about the ramifications that the current shortage of experienced help in the home is having on the wider population, who rely on this type of assistance, to enable them to be able to go to work, help with their children or look after an elderly relative.
As the Owner & Director of Harris Recruitment for the past 22 years, which is a boutique domestic recruitment agency, supplying all types of domestic help nationwide, www.harrisrecruitment.co.uk, I have never known a market like this, where there is such a shortage of good quality help available.
We are certainly living in strange times and are seeing that currently it is very much a candidate, not an employer market, as the movement of applicants has really slowed down. The good ones all have several options open to them and just today we had 2 candidates that were offered positions by our clients and accepted jobs elsewhere.
This is something that certainly isn’t just unique to UHNW positions, as we are seeing this in all sectors of domestic recruitment, across the whole of the UK, especially in our main market, which is the part time daily housekeeper market.
We think that this shortage reflects the Conservative Government’s Immigration Strategy and is caused by the reduction of suitable experienced people, legally allowed to work in the UK.
This is not a new problem, but one that has been building gradually since March 2012, when the Government and the Home Office, despite being advised against doing so, decided to scrap the ability for Overseas Domestic Workers, who came into the UK on a Domestic Worker Visa, to change employer and then renew their visa, as long as they were employed.
Many of the domestic vacancies were then filled by EU Nationals, including those who came on Au Pair visas, however, because of Brexit, many of these experienced people have now returned to their own countries.
The final nail in the coffin, has been caused by the past 18 months, whilst we’ve been dealing with Covid 19 and as a result of the Lockdowns, people much more reticent about going back to work or moving jobs, as they want to hang on to their job security, especially if they had been eligible for Furlough.
There is a huge misconception that housekeeping, cleaning, nannying or caring positions are only for the very wealthy, and that these jobs are badly paid, low skilled positions that can be done by anyone.
From experience, I can testify that this is certainly not the case, in fact the opposite is true, as good, part time experienced housekeepers, carers and nannies or a combination role, regularly earn between £14 – £18 gross per hour and full-time salaries are between £39,000 – £54, 000 per annum.
The candidates that we deal with need to be experienced and have previous work-related checkable references. The housekeepers that we would represent will all have good previous relevant experience, either from previously working in private domestic homes, in hotels or for cleaning companies. Nannies will have either previously have worked as a nanny for a family or worked in a nursery and carer/companions will either have worked in care homes, for domiciliary care agencies or for private clients.
Something urgently needs to be done by this Government to rectify this problem, as the supply shortage of good candidates is forcing salaries to go even higher and makes employing the help untenable for those who need the assistance most in order to run their everyday lives, however sadly I’m not sure they are interested or even care.
Oh to be validated by the Mail Online!! We have been telling our clients, for the past 12 + months, that it is a candidate led market, as with the fallout from both Brexit and Covid, we can see that Nationwide, there is a real shortage of good candidates available for jobs in the childcare, eldercare and domestic sectors.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10112721/Suddenly-child-carers-short-supply-nanny-wars-got-nasty.html?ito=whatsapp_share_article-top
The NHS is offering the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine to people in order of who’s most at risk.
Employers should support staff in getting the COVID-19 vaccine once it’s offered to them.
From 11 November, people working or volunteering in certain Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered care homes in England must be vaccinated by law, unless exempt.
There’s currently no other law that says people must have the vaccine, even if an employer would prefer someone to have it. There may be some people who are advised not to have the vaccine, for example for health reasons.
There’s a chance someone might still get or spread COVID-19 if they’ve had the vaccine. Even once people are vaccinated they must still follow guidelines for:
See government vaccine advice:
Vaccination for care home staff in England
From 11 November, anyone who works indoors in a Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered care home must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they’re exempt. This only applies to CQC registered care homes that provide accommodation for people needing nursing or personal care.
This will apply to most people who enter the care home for work, including:
- staff
- agency workers
- contractors or self-employed people hired to carry out work in a care home, for example tradespeople, occupational therapists or hairdressers
- volunteers
The person responsible for checking who can enter the care home is the care home’s ‘registered person’. This is the person registered with the CQC as the care home’s manager or service provider.
The following people are exempt:
- anyone with a medical exemption
- current care home residents and service users
- friends and family of a current resident
- workers who do not enter the care home, for example a gardener
- someone providing emergency assistance or urgent maintenance
- members of the emergency services who need to enter the care home to carry out their job
- anyone visiting a dying resident
- anyone giving bereavement support to a resident after the death of a relative or friend
- anyone under 18
Supporting staff to get the vaccine
Employers may find it useful to talk with their staff about the vaccine and share the benefits of being vaccinated.
It could help to discuss things like:
- the government’s latest vaccine health information
- when staff might be offered the vaccine
- if staff will need time off work to get vaccinated
- pay for time off work related to the vaccine
- whether the employer plans to collect data on staff vaccinations, and if so, how this will follow data protection law (UK GDPR)
- whether anyone needs to be vaccinated to be able to do their job
To encourage staff to get the vaccine, employers might consider:
- paid time off for vaccination appointments
- paying staff their usual rate of pay if they’re off sick with vaccine side effects, instead of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
- not counting vaccine-related absences in absence records or towards any ‘trigger’ system the organisation may have
Talking with staff can help:
- agree a vaccine policy that’s appropriate for both staff and the organisation
- support staff to protect their health
- keep good working relationships
- avoid disputes in the future
If someone does not want the vaccine
If someone does not want to be vaccinated, the employer should listen to their concerns.
Some people may have health reasons, for example they could get an allergic reaction to the vaccine.
Employers should be sensitive towards personal situations and must keep any concerns confidential. They must be careful to avoid discrimination.
If someone is concerned about their health and the vaccine, they should talk to their doctor.
If an employer feels staff should be vaccinated
It’s best to support staff to get the vaccine without forcing them to.
If an employer feels it’s important for staff to be vaccinated, they should talk together with staff or the organisation’s recognised trade union to discuss what steps to take.
Any decision after that discussion should be put in writing, for example in a workplace policy. It must also be in line with the organisation’s existing disciplinary and grievance policy.
It’s a good idea for the employer to get legal advice before bringing in a vaccine policy.
Resolving an issue about getting the vaccine
If an employee or employer feels there’s an issue, it’s best to try and resolve it informally.
An employee or worker can raise an issue by talking with their:
- employer
- trade union representative, if they’re a member of a trade union
- health and safety representative, if they have one
- employee representatives
If it cannot be resolved informally:
