{"id":1513,"date":"2022-01-10T04:56:30","date_gmt":"2022-01-10T04:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uk.legalvision.com.au\/?p=1513"},"modified":"2025-01-22T22:50:54","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T22:50:54","slug":"zero-hours-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/zero-hours-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"What are Zero-Hours Contracts in England and Wales?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

All employers will have different requirements in terms of staff, and this is not always as simple as needing a specific number of employees regularly. For example, suppose you have just started your own business. In that case, you may not want to recruit several full-time employees<\/a> until your workload becomes consistent. If your business caters to the holiday industry, there may be a time when you need additional staff and other times of the year when you need very few staff. If you cannot commit to offering your employees a guaranteed minimum number of hours for work, then hiring staff on a zero-hours contract (also known as a casual contract) works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will explain zero-hours contracts, how they work in practice, when they may be used, the rules regarding them, and what the actual contract might include. As the Labour government is set to introduce new employment law legislation by 2026, this article also touches upon the proposed changes to the zero-hours contract regime and how these changes may affect your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Zero-Hours Contract?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A zero-hours contract is not a legal term. Instead, it describes an employment relationship in which an employer is not obligated to provide a set number of work hours to a worker. Workers engaged in this kind of employment relationship are often called \u2018casual workers<\/a>\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As the number of working hours is not guaranteed, if you offer work to a casual worker, it is up to the casual worker to decide whether or not they wish to accept the offer of work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why Might You Use Zero-Hours Contracts?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Zero-hours contracts are helpful for employers whose workload fluctuates. This is especially true in the leisure, catering, and hospitality sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero-hours contracts could also be helpful for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n