Changes to employment law, such as extending paternity leave and phasing out the Default Retirement Age, are causing real concern amongst employers according to a new survey conducted by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
More than half of the 1,300 firms questioned by the BCC in the study indicated that they thought that the paternity leave changes would have a detrimental effect on their business. Twenty per cent stated that they were more worried about the scrapping of the Default Retirement Age and the impact it may have on their ability to manage their staff effectively.
The Director General of the BCC, David Frost, commented that many employers are concerned that the time they have to spend implementing changes to employment law leads to them neglecting the actual running of their business.
He explained: "In the face of promises by the Government to listen to the needs of business and cut red tape, these two new pieces of employment regulation will hit businesses hard.
"The Budget revealed a policy to exempt start-ups and existing firms with fewer than 10 employees from new domestic regulation, but this week's changes show there is an urgent need to review and scale back policies already on the statute books."
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