The Regulation and Employment section of the website covers:

• Details of the Government’s regulatory strategies and initiatives
• Critiques and assessments of current regulatory policies
• IoD proposals, reports and recommendations aimed at reducing the regulatory burden on business
• Research and case studies of members regulatory experiences
• IoD consultation responses and representations to government in a variety of regulatory arenas

Employment policy initiatives, domestically and at EU level, have imposed some of the most burdensome regulations on business. As a consequence, the IoD's Policy team gives employment law issues special attention and treats them separately from other areas of regulation. Employment affairs covers the following:

• IoD reports and documents on current UK and EU employment practices
• IoD consultation responses and representations to the UK Government and EU Institutions on employment issues
• IoD proposals and recommendations aimed at improving the employment law framework

News

Time to train: proposed legislation for 2010

Provided that the legislation is passed, 25m employees will have the new right to request time off for training in 2010. This could cost firms up to £555m.

Business Rates Supplement Bill

The IoD strongly opposes the Business Rates Supplement Bill in principle. It would be an additional burden on business which bears no relation to profile and could jeopardise their commercial viability.

Briefing Papers

• Briefing Paper: Proposal for an Amendment to the Working Time Directive

Briefing Paper to MEPs on the Proposal for an amendment to the Working Time Directive. Read more>>

• Briefing Paper: Health and Safety 

Good health and safety at work is a key component of the operation of any enterprise. As with all aspects of business, it is important to follow good practice and maintain high standards.

The IoD supports simplification of health and safety law and has supported moves towards alternative penalties for breach of the law. The regulators should continue to be encouraged not to bring in a new law for every conceivable eventuality; instead, a risk-based approach should be used. The IoD also does not support inconsistent enforcement of health and safety law across the country.

There is also a perception in some quarters that health and safety is purely a technical issue that is not one for directors and boards. This is not so, and recent changes in guidance and the law make that clearer. Read more>>

• Leading Health & Safety at Work (PDF)