Training rights exemption urged for small businesses

28 August 2008

The government should take steps to minimise any extra administrative burdens on smaller employers if it goes ahead with plans to give employees the right to request time off for training.

The call has come from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in response to the government’s consultation on the proposed new regulation.

The FSB wants to see small firms exempt from holding formal meetings on requests for time off. Instead, the FSB would prefer informal ‘one-on-one’ meetings without the need for union representatives.

According to the FSB’s latest survey of small business owners, three-quarters of firms already offer some form of training. However, a significant proportion of that training is not recognised by the government.

Colin Willman, the FSB’s education and skills chairman, said: “Most small businesses engage in training for their workforce as there are higher percentages of under-skilled employees working within smaller businesses compared with bigger firms.”

Mr Willman argued that the ‘time to train’ process, as it stands, is too expensive and too bureaucratic for small employers.

The FSB is concerned that the employee’s right to request a meeting to discuss time off to train will lead to both extra red tape and worries that a refusal could be construed as constructive dismissal.

Mr Willman added: “We believe the best way to engage small businesses with the policy are to keep it informal between employer and employee, making it easier to identify the necessary training.”