Ending one-sided flexibility: reforms of zero hours and similar contracts.

Good afternoon,

I am pleased to let you know that the government has just launched its consultation on Ending one-sided flexibility: reforms of zero hours and similar contracts.

The consultation invites views on how new rights established by the Employment Rights Act 2025 should be implemented. These are the rights to:

• Guaranteed hours;
• Reasonable notice of shifts; and
• The right to short notice payments for shifts cancelled, curtailed or changed at short notice.

These rights apply to directly engaged workers and agency workers who meet the qualifying criteria.  The rights apply differently to agency workers and directly engaged workers, and regulations may set out further differences in their treatment.

The consultation provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to give their views on how the reforms should be implemented, and we very much welcome a response from you. The consultation is available here: Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts – GOV.UK

The consultation will run for 12 weeks, so you can submit a response any time from now until Tuesday 25^th August at 23:59pm.

You may wish to read the impact assessments on the reforms to inform your response:

• Impact assessment: ZHCs – Right to Guaranteed Hours
• Impact_assessment_zhcss_right_reasonable_notice_shifts_payment_shifts_cancelled_moved_curtailed_short_notice.pdf

An updated zero hours contracts factsheet is attached to this email.

Factsheet – zero hours contracts

Many thanks,

The Zero Hours Contracts team at the Department for Business and Trade