Mothers (and their partners) who suffer a miscarriage at any stage of pregnancy should soon be entitled to two weeks of bereavement leave. Previously, bereavement leave was only legally offered to those who'd lost a pregnancy at 24 weeks or later, but was still sometimes given at the employer's discretion.
The change comes as part of the Labour Government's proposed Employment Rights Bill (set to become a law after it has gone through several rounds of being checked over and voted on etc – you can track it here).
It would also see employees able to challenge unfair dismissal from day one (something that right now is only an option for those who've been in a role for two years or more) and for the end of zero hour contracts, meaning those who do agency work must be offered a minimum number of hours per week. Details are still to be ironed out on how this will roll out though, as for some people a zero hours/non-committed contract may actually be preferable.
The bill also says flexible working – defined by the Government as "a way of working that suits an employee's needs, for example having flexible start and finish times, or working from home" – should become the default "where practical". Although there's currently limited details on how exactly 'practical' will be defined in this scenario.
There have also been promises to review the UK's current parental leave offering.
Speaking on the changes, Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, said, "For too long millions of workers have been forced to face insecure, low paid and irregular work, while our economy is blighted by low growth and low productivity.
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"We are turning the tide – with the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation, boosting living standards and bringing with it an upgrade to our growth prospects and the reforms our economy so desperately needs. We have been working closely with businesses and workers to progress this landmark bill and deliver our Plan for Change - unleashing growth and making work pay for everyone."
You can read up on the other amendments to the Employee Rights Bill being tabled here.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
