Updates to the Furlough Scheme – 1 June 2020
Latest reforms to the Furlough scheme have now been released by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Here are the headline points announced at his press conference on Friday 29th May:
Site Safety after Lockdown
On Sunday 10th May, the Prime Minister advised those of us who cannot work from home to return to our workplaces. Advice was given to employers on how to protect workers from Covid-19 and we were instructed to remain alert.
Mental Health During Lockdown
A recent study in the Guardian found that out of 800 people currently living with mental illness, 80% felt their condition had worsened due to the impact of COVID-19 and 28% said it was much worse.
Notice Periods During Furlough
There appears to be confusion among some of our customers regarding the difference between Statutory and Contractual notice when making people redundant. There is no case law, given this emerging topic, but my much respected network of Barristers and QC’s believe as follows:
Getting Back To Work
On Thursday 2nd April, HSE made it clear that, with the exception of some non-essential shops and public venues, they are not asking businesses to close. Instead employers are required to take all possible steps to enable their staff to work from home.
Forcing Workers Back from Furlough Leave Could be Very Risky
“I have an employee that is unwilling to return from furlough leave. What can I do?”
This kind of conundrum is now inevitable – after all, employees have been at home on 80% pay, with sunshine, for a few weeks now. So what are the considerations?
There are three tactics we see employees using to enforce the continuance of Furlough leave:
COVID-19 and Furlough Leave Latest Update
The HMRC Portal is now open for employers to claim grants for Furloughed workers. These payments are then expected to be with applicants from 30th April. HMRC believe the portal can handle 450,000 applications per hour, but their call centre may crash if there is a problem. In addition:
Getting our Manufacturing, Engineering and Construction Workers Back on the Job
On Wednesday 8th April, Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industry, wrote to the manufacturing and industry sector to remind them of UK Government’s approach to work during the current Covid-19 crisis.
Coronavirus Funds Online Portal Date Announced
Here’s our latest update on what we know now about furlough leave and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) 9th April 2020
Confirmation of Employment Guidelines on Furlough
HMRC have published a further update to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, as follows:
Employees can start a new job when on furlough, by joining their new employer and continuing with furlough leave without a break.