At the end of September, the government announced its new furlough scheme, the Job Support Scheme (JSS). A further amendment to the scheme was announced today by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and is due to begin on 1st November 2020. The increased support for businesses and workers comes after growing pressure from firms in tier two…
Saturday 10th October was World Mental Health Day, a day dedicated to spreading the message that it’s okay not to be okay, and to encouraging all of us to talk. But because it was a Saturday, it is possible that it may have been overlooked by some people. Sadly, there are over 6,000 calls to Samaritans…
Andrew Wilson, head of our Employment Law Department, has been considering the impact of existing human rights laws relating to privacy in home working arrangements, given our ongoing COVID-19 lockdown situations.
New Coronavirus regulations have been made. If an employer has a worker who has tested positive for COVID-19 (or lives with someone who has tested positive), they are now responsible for stopping the worker from working (unless they can work from home). If they fail to do so, employers will face a fine, starting at…
The government has announced its most recent efforts in the new furlough scheme. From 1st November, the Job Support Scheme (JSS), which will replace the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, aims to protect businesses who face lower demand over the winter months due to the impact of COVID-19. The Job Support Scheme will be available for…
The deadlines for renewing extended First Aid and CITB qualifications due to the disruptions of COVID-19 have been announced.
An employee has developed Covid-19 symptoms, what should you do? Firstly, it is worth noting that currently, most Coronavirus infections appear to be occurring as a result of social interactions rather than in the workplace. As a responsible employer you will already have a risk assessment in place that sets out the steps to be…
The end of furlough is in sight. Today marks the very visible beginning of the end for the Coronavirus Job Retention (CJR) Scheme. From today, 1st September 2020, employers have to contribute at least 10% of salary for those on the furlough scheme. This adds to the payments of employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and…
The world of construction health and safety is pretty small, and if like me you’ve been lucky to have had twenty years in it, you get to know plenty of people. This week I have been able to catch up with a lot of other health and safety managers. Whilst Covid is never far from…
Furloughed employees to receive full redundancy payments from July 31st The Government has announced a new law to ensure all furloughed employees receive redundancy payments at 100% of their normal salary, rather than a reduced furlough rate. It means that employees won’t be short-changed if they are made redundant whilst furloughed under the Coronavirus Job…