National Minimum Wage Rates from 1st April 2025

Every year, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) including the National Living Wage (NLW) are set to rise from the 1st April.

The new rates from the 1st April 2025 will be:

• NLW 21 years old and over: £12.21 per hour 

• Age18-20: £10.00 per hour 

• Age under 18 but above compulsory school leaving age: £7.55 per hour  

• Apprentices aged under 19: £7.55 per hour 

• Apprentices aged over 19 but in their first year of apprenticeship: £7.55 per hour 

If you pay any employees the NLW or NMW, or close to it, it’s a good idea to check their current pay now to see what adjustments you need to make ready for April.

Other important rises from 6th April 2025

Weekly rates that will apply from 6th April include:

• Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, parental bereavement, and shared parental leave payments will rise to £187.18 per week.

• Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (£187.18 per week) will come into force on 6th April.

• Statutory sick pay, which will rise to £118.75 per week from 6th April.

If this is written into your policies then don’t forget to amend them ready for April.

New right to neonatal leave and pay will be introduced from 6th April 2025

On Monday 20 January 2025 the Government confirmed that working families with babies in neonatal care will be entitled to additional time off as a day one right.

Currently, many working families across the UK are having to return to work while their babies are sick in hospital, and these measures aim to address some of the difficulties that thousands of parents face when their baby is in neonatal care.  

Neonatal Care Leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or longer.

These measures will allow eligible parents to take up to 12 weeks of leave (and, if eligible, pay) on top of any other leave they may be entitled to, including maternity and paternity leave. 

The government has laid regulations to implement the change, which subject to Parliamentary approval, will take effect from 6 April 2025 and follows the passing of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act in 2023. 

Further details can be found here

Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace - what the new law means for employers

The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 came into effect on October 26, 2024, and requires employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.  This includes harassment from other employees, customers, or clients, and also harassment that occurs on social media. 

The main steps every employer is expected to take are:

• Conducting a risk assessment. 

• Having a robust policy in place – that is updated at least once a year.

• Putting in place meaningful training for managers - at least once a year and immediately for all new managers.

• An awareness programme for employees – so that they know what is not acceptable, from day one (so part of their induction).

• A reporting system – that also allows for anonymous complaints.

• A process by which all complaints are treated seriously, investigated (which requires further training for managers/approved investigators) and actioned.

• A support system for those who need it.

Further guidance can be found here