Zero hours contracts consultation

About this event

CIPD is seeking your view on proposed zero-hours contract reforms. Share your ER expertise to help shape our consultation response.

As you’re probably aware, the Government is consulting on significant ERA reforms to zero-hours and ‘similar’ contracts to provide workers with guaranteed hours, reasonable notice of shifts cancelled or curtailed, and compensation for short-notice shift changes. The CIPD is gathering evidence to inform our response, and we would very much appreciate your feedback given your expertise and experience in employment relations. We have also conducted quantitative research through our Labour Market Outlook employer survey.

Speakers bio:

Ben Willmott, Head of Public Policy and Practice, CIPD

Ben leads our public policy team, which works to inform and shape public debate, government policy and legislation to champion better work and working lives. His personal areas of interest include industrial strategy, skills policy, labour market regulation and enforcement and employee relations and wellbeing.

Ben led the design and development of our regional People Skills pilots, which explored the value of HR support for small firms and how it can be delivered effectively within a local skills system. His published research includes reports on the Apprenticeship Levy, line management capability, zero hours contracts and the gig economy. He is also a member of the Government-sponsored Flexible Working Taskforce and has given evidence to a range of select committee inquiries on our behalf. Before joining the CIPD, Ben was news editor and employment law editor at Personnel Today magazine. He has an LLM in employment law from Kingston University.

Sally Sellwood, Employment Law Consultant, CIPD

Sally joined the CIPD early in 2026 and works across the Public Policy and Knowledge Content teams, advising on employment law across the spectrum of CIPD activity, championing better work and working lives, and supporting HR professionals to bring good practice into their organisations.

Sally has a range of previous experience which makes her particularly suited to the work of the CIPD. Qualifying as a solicitor into the Government Legal Service’s Employment Litigation team, she acted for a number of government departments in employment disputes, before a stint in the Ministry of Defence Legal Advisers team advising on civilian employment law. She moved into industry, as Vodafone UK’s employment lawyer before stepping away from the legal coalface for a time. She has run her own content marketing business, specialising in legal marketing, and most recently, before joining the CIPD, held a dual marketing manager/HR business partner role in a fast growth SME.

Rachel Suff, Senior Policy Adviser (Employment Relations), CIPD

Rachel leads on the CIPD’s public policy work for employment relations and health and well-being, and is a policy and research professional with over 20 years’ experience in the employment and HR arena. She has recently led a range of policy and research studies about health and wellbeing at work, including the CIPD’s annual Health and well-being at work survey report and represents the CIPD on key Government and external advisory groups, such as the Work and Health Unit Employer Engagement Forum. Rachel is a qualified HR practitioner and researcher with an MSc in Human Resource Management from Portsmouth University and a post-graduate diploma in social research methods from Sussex University; her prior roles include working as a senior policy adviser at Acas

Claire McCartney, Senior Policy Adviser, Resourcing and Flexible Working

Claire is our senior policy adviser. She leads our policy work on flexible and new ways of working and resourcing and talent management.

1. Participants will receive their joining details 24 hours before the webinar, along with a reminder 15 minutes before the session begins.
2. The session may be recorded and shared afterwards.
3. The chat function will be used to engage with participants.
4. If there is an external speaker, their views will be their own and may not necessarily reflect those of the CIPD.
5. If any reasonable adjustments are required, participants are encouraged to make this known and assistance will be provided.