No time to train for employees of SMEs
The Government has today announced that it will not be extending
the right to request time off for training to employees of
businesses with fewer that 250 employees. There will also be
further consultation on the proposals.
Time Off to train (TOTT) was introduced for larger businesses
(employing 250 people or more) in April last year, and was set
to be rolled out to SMEs this coming April. Under the
scheme, employees have a right to request time off work to train.
Although the employer does not have to pay for the training, or for
the time off in most cases, an employer which receives a request
from an employee does have to follow a procedure to consider the
request. The procedure includes meeting with the employee and
giving a right of appeal if the employee's request is not granted.
To lawfully refuse a request, the employer must give one of a
number of specific reasons.
The announcement is likely to be welcomed by SME owners as
implementation would have required them to follow strict procedures
to consider requests by employees for time off to attend training,
although the time off itself would not have needed to be paid.