Today›Work›The Department for Business and Trade is consulting on regulations implementing the Employment Rights
Needs team input

The Department for Business and Trade is consulting on regulations implementing the Employment Rights

Linked to Employment Rights Reform

OwnerAlex
Next deadline25 Aug 2026
Outputs4
THE BRIEF ALEX IS WORKING FROM

These measures could materially reduce Northstar’s workforce flexibility and increase employment costs, particularly through guaranteed-hours obligations, shift-notice requirements and short-notice cancellation payments. The consultation is the key opportunity to shape implementation so protections remain practical and proportionate, consistent with Northstar’s employment flexibility position. Recommended actions: 1. Review the consultation documents and updated eligibility and hours-threshold guidance, focusing on qualifying workers, reference periods, guaranteed-hours options, notice requirements and cancellation-payment triggers. 2. Map potential operational and cost impacts across Northstar’s consumer services and infrastructure workforces, including seasonal, variable-demand and shift-based roles. 3. Prepare a draft consultation response that supports fair protections while seeking proportionate thresholds, workable exemptions or implementation arrangements, and preservation of reasonable workforce flexibility. 4. Coordinate an internal evidence-gathering exercise with HR, operations, finance and legal teams, including examples of scheduling practices and likely compliance costs. 5. Create an approval-ready recommendation on whether Northstar should submit a formal response before the deadline; do not submit externally without approval.

Current next move ↓
Alex’s proposed approach
  1. Review the consultation documents and updated eligibility and hours-threshold guidance, focusing on qualifying workers, reference periods, guaranteed-hours options, notice requirements and cancellation-payment triggers.
  2. Map potential operational and cost impacts across Northstar’s consumer services and infrastructure workforces, including seasonal, variable-demand and shift-based roles.
  3. Prepare a draft consultation response that supports fair protections while seeking proportionate thresholds, workable exemptions or implementation arrangements, and preservation of reasonable workforce flexibility.
  4. Coordinate an internal evidence-gathering exercise with HR, operations, finance and legal teams, including examples of scheduling practices and likely compliance costs.
Keep working with Alex

Ask for a revision, another briefing format, a deadline change or give Alex the missing evidence. The conversation stays attached to this job.

Continue this work with Alex →
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN NOW

Answer 2 evidence questions

Alex has completed the useful work possible without guessing and will continue from the answer.

Provide input
ALEX’S LATEST READNeeds team input
Ask Alex about this work →

COO decision brief: Employment Rights Act consultation created as a new deliverable derived from Consultation analysis: Northstar implications and evidence gaps. The original remains unchanged.

IssueEmployment Rights Reform
ConfidenceConfirmed
Progress4 of 6 steps
PROGRESS

The next step

4 / 6

Alex keeps the full plan underneath this simple view.

!
CURRENT STEPComplete targeted evidence gathering

The initial workforce-count request has been answered, but material evidence gaps remain. Without these inputs, final numerical positions and approval recommendation cannot responsibly be completed.

View full workplan6 steps
✓
Review consultation and supporting analysisCompleted

Reviewed the consultation, analytical covering note and Right to Guaranteed Hours Options Assessment. Confirmed the proposals cover guaranteed-hours offers, reasonable shift notice, short-notice cancellation/movement/curtailment payments, agency workers, exemptions, enforcement and information-sharing.

✓
Update internal brief for COOCompleted

Revised the previous brief into a short two-minute read, incorporating the supplied Northstar workforce evidence and the key decision required.

✓
Prepare consultation analysis against approved positionCompleted

Mapped the proposals against Northstar’s approved position: support fair protections, preserve proportionate probation and flexible workforce arrangements, and avoid disproportionate cost or loss of reasonable probation flexibility.

✓
Prepare first-pass response frameworkCompleted

Prepared a non-final, internal draft response framework covering the questions most material to Northstar. It is deliberately caveated where company evidence or a confirmed technical position is absent.

!
Complete targeted evidence gatheringWaiting

The initial workforce-count request has been answered, but material evidence gaps remain. Without these inputs, final numerical positions and approval recommendation cannot responsibly be completed.

NEEDS INPUTHR, Operations, Finance and Legal
Provide input →
!
Obtain internal decision on response and approverWaiting

The workplan requires an approval-ready recommendation on whether Northstar should submit a formal response. Submission remains subject to approval and has not occurred.

NEEDS INPUTExecutive sponsor / COO with Public Affairs
Provide input →
NEEDS YOU

2 things Alex needs

2 open

Each request is kept short. Give Alex the answer directly and the work can continue.

!
WaitingHR, Operations, Finance and Legal

Complete targeted evidence gathering

(1) breakdown of the approximately 400 materially affected roles by business, location, role type, seasonality and contract type; (2) current use…

View other requests1
!
WaitingExecutive sponsor / COO with Public Affairs

Obtain internal decision on response and approver

Confirm whether Northstar should seek approval to submit a formal response, identify the senior approver, and confirm whether HR or Public Affair…

OUTPUTSDrafts and briefingsReview, share or continue from the latest versions.
4 current
Approvedv1

Internal brief: Employment Rights Reform consultation — COO two-minute read

Short internal brief revised following feedback.

Open output →
Draftv1

Consultation analysis: Northstar implications and evidence gaps

First-pass analysis of the substantive proposals and their fit with Northstar’s approved position.

Open output →
Draftv1

Internal first-pass consultation response framework — not for submission

A useful draft framework for internal review; it is not external correspondence and has not been sent.

Open output →
Draftv1 · COO

COO decision brief: Employment Rights Act consultation

Approve urgent evidence gathering and preparation of a draft response, with a final submission decision once Northstar’s cost, operational and legal impacts are quantified.

Open output →
ALEX CAN ALSO HELPMore ways to move this workCreate a brief or ask Alex to continue from the current evidence.
Open
ALEX CAN DO THIS NOWKeep this Work Item moving
COMPANY POSITIONPreferred position, fallback and red lines
View
Preferred position

Any guaranteed-hours regime should distinguish between exploitative one-sided flexibility and legitimate variable-hours arrangements valued by both employees and employers.

Fallback

Support a right for workers to request a more predictable working pattern where employers may decline on clear operational grounds.

Red lines

Oppose an automatic hours guarantee based on a short reference period where it prevents businesses from responding to seasonal or operational demand.

SOURCE & SUPPORTING EVIDENCEMake Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts
View
SourceGOVUK · Primary
ConfidenceConfirmed
Published2 Jun 2026

We are seeking views on reforms relating to zero hours and similar contracts, to implement measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025 to end one-sided flexibility.

Open official source ↗
Supporting documents Alex foundPDFConsultation on ending one-sided flexibility: reforms of zero hours and similar contractsPDFAnalysis to support the consultation: covering notePDFRight to guaranteed hours: options assessmentPDFRight to reasonable notice of shifts: options assessmentPDFRight to payment for shifts cancelled, moved or curtailed at short notice: options assessmentPDFZero hours contracts evidence and policy implications: research paperPDFExperiences of workers in insecure work: research paperODSExperiences of workers in insecure work: research paper - data tables