April is Stress Awareness Month

Use Stress Awareness Month to make it routine to prevent stress and support mental health at work, and encourage others in the construction industry too.

We’re inviting employers and managers to complete the 5 steps of our Working Minds campaign over the course of the month – whether that’s learning how, or actually taking action.

5 steps in 5 weeks

• Reach out and have conversations
• Recognise the signs and causes of stress
• Respond to any risks identified by agreeing action points
• Reflect on the actions taken – have things improved?
• Make it Routine to check back in on how things are going

Join us:

• register for bitesize learning for step-by-step advice, tools and templates
• download the campaign materials to share with others
• view the construction page of our Working Minds website for more information and details of the support available to the sector
• sign up to the monthly Working Minds ebulletin
  

  

  New Edition of JCT Contracts

  JCT has begun publishing the next edition of its contracts, with the Design and Build Contract (DB 2024) the first to be released. DB 2024, which is designed for projects where the contractor carries out both the design and construction work and detailed provisions are needed, provides for collaborative working, sustainability, advanced payment, bonds, third party rights and collateral warranties.

  The new JCT 2024 edition features a range of updates, including the adoption of gender‐neutral language and key legislative changes in relation to the Building Safety Act and the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act. JCT is hosting an online launch event on Wednesday 1 May to provide more information on the key changes, and contracts will be available to purchase via the JCT Construct subscription service, in On Demand digital form and in hardcopy as they are released.

 

 

Credit Insurance Survey

The CLC has launched a survey on Trade Credit Insurance to understand the current market position with regards to its provision. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes, and members across the supply chain are encouraged to share their views by the deadline of Friday 26 April.

Apprenticeship Support

The Government has confirmed that for new apprenticeship starts from 1 April where employers do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy it will fund all the training costs, up to the funding band maximum, for apprentices aged between 16 and 21 years old when they start their

Flexible Working

Changes to family friendly and flexible working rights took effect from 6 April, including the right to request flexible working from day one of employment, rather than after 26 weeks, and twice in a 12‐month period. ACAS has now published a Code of Practice with guidance for employers on handling requests for flexible working.