[Information edited from various sources including CIPD & Gov.uk E&EO. All copyrights acknowledged. Please seek professional advice. Information is correct at the time of writing, and subject to change.]

‘Freedom Day’ may have come last Monday, but this only boosts the responsibility on Employers to maintain safe working environments amid the increased possibility of staff shortages.

Health & Safety  – Employer’s Duty of Care

As an employer you continue to have a duty of care to your employees and the lifting of the restrictions on Monday 19^th did not change that. There is still the need to provide a safe working environment and reduce the likelihood of spreading the virus in the workplace. This could include the continued wearing of face coverings, increased levels of cleaning, social distancing and regular testing. Although the legal implications may have relaxed, the need to provide and maintain a safe working environment for your staff and visitors has not.

Re-visit your Covid Risk Assessment, to see whether anything needs amending, or even increasing in light of more people in the workplace, and the relaxing of restrictions.

It is important too to consider the needs and fears of your employees and communicate with them fully on any changes and what you expect. Offer support to those that continue to have concerns about returning to work, or the changes that have now come into place. Have one-to-one conversations with all staff to understand their individual feelings amid the changes either now or upcoming. Their wellbeing is critical to how you move forward with mental health being a key factor in this.

Personnel Today – Top 14 workplace changes office workers want to see

The following is a list compiled by Personnel Today, with 60% of respondents thinking their employer needs to improve the office environment. Most of these are simple to implement and can help create more confidence in the workplace.

1. Hand sanitiser at every desk
2. Toilets cleaned more frequently
3. Better ventilation systems
4. Better cleaning regime generally
5. More space between workstations
6. Increased “touch point” cleaning – for example, bannisters and door handles
7. Free face masks
8. Reduced office and meeting room capacity to allow for social distancing
9. One-way systems
10. More visible cleaners
11. Desk booking apps/systems
12. Rules around making drinks for others
13. Ultraviolet disinfection systems, which use UV light to kill germs
14. Thermal imaging technology to detect when people have a raised temperature.

The ‘Pingdemic’

One of the big issues at the moment is that of a predicted ‘pingdemic’. With more people out and about with less safeguards, the likeliness of a self-isolation notification from the NHS app of Track and Trace also increases. Currently the government is not due to relax self-isolation rules until 16^th August.

Whilst there are some exceptions for key industries*, it is still a legal requirement for someone to self-isolate if they have been notified. The fine for not doing so is £1000. This could lead to unmanageable staff shortages.

Whilst the discussion continues in the hope that changes will be made, it is important to consider the implications of staff shortages, and to ensure key roles are covered or that training is in place to upskill the workforce in critical areas. Managing the spread within the workplace by continuing to maintain reduced staff contact, staggered times, good hygiene measures and staff awareness will also help.

*You will be notified directly by the government if your company is one of those that is subject to exemption.

Hybrid/Flexible Working

With a recent survey (Personnel Today) finding 87% of respondents want a flexible working pattern, hybrid or flexible working is an important HR issue. Having seen the benefits or downsides of working from home, employers are now receiving more requests to work flexibly. ACAS have also responded by providing guidelines on Hybrid Working – working remotely part-time.

As with many guidelines, consultation is crucial, along with providing a fair and transparent process. However, there is also the concern on gender disparity and fears of showing lack of commitment. Where employees have been working from home, this may have also shown the positives and difficulties of remote working, that a hybrid week of part office and part home based could better fit.

Contact me if you have employees requesting flexible working, or wish to implement a hybrid working process within your Company and would like support:

Call 01843 260704 or email amanda@holgesconsulting.co.uk.

Alternatively, the ACAS guidance can be found here: https://www.acas.org.uk/hybrid-working

Furlough ending September

The Government Job Retention Scheme is due to end 30th September, and consideration must now turn to what to do at that point. Hopefully, the support will have enabled you to keep open the positions and roles for all employees, and you will be able to maintain that going forward. However, one of the reasons for using the scheme may have been to reduce the need for redundancies during the pandemic. If this is the case, then you should start to identify if there will indeed be a need for redundancies once the support is no longer there.

The critical part of any redundancy is the consultation with those it may affect. This may not be just the person that has been subject to the Furlough scheme, and it would be wrong to assume that they will automatically be the only one subject to the process. Depending on how many may be affected, there is also a time scale to plan. Consultation takes time and has legal requirements on the length if over 20 employees may be affected.

Contact me if you need support managing possible redundancies within the next few months:

Call 01843 260704 or email amanda@holgesconsulting.co.uk.