Businesses who employ people on zero-hours contracts could be forced to pay a premium rate for short-notice work in an effort to stop “lazy” employers exploiting staff. The proposal is highlighted in a Guardian report following an FT interview with Matthew Taylor who was appointed by the Government to review employment practices in the light of concerns about the precarious nature of work, particularly in the gig economy. The proposal would see firms told to pay an increased rate above the minimum wage if they called upon workers whose contract requires them to be on standby for work. This would give firms an incentive to guarantee more hours in advance, because it would cost them more to pay people for work that had not already been agreed.

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