UK entrepreneurs are struggling with escalating employment legislation and many believe employee rights have gone too far, it has been claimed.
Research by the Tenon Forum, a think tank of entrepreneurs, has revealed that around 70% of small business owners in the UK feel that the balance of power has shifted too far in favour of the employee.
Entrepreneurs cited legislation banning age discrimination and initiatives surrounding paternity leave and sexual orientation as examples of areas where employee rights are escalating.
Michaela Johns, director of Business Services at Tenon, commented: “Entrepreneurs are broadly in favour of measures which protect employees, but our findings show they feel under pressure from increasing workplace legislation.
“The government must be wary of developing the kind of stringent employment laws which have strangled many businesses on the Continent and instead build a climate which enables enterprise to flourish.”
However, in spite of these concerns, the research found that many rebellious entrepreneurs are defying the age regulations by continuing to ask for candidates’ ages on job application forms.
In addition, more than a quarter of entrepreneurs (26%) intend to continue asking for interviewees’ dates of birth, putting themselves at risk of discrimination claims.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2007
