As cases of coronavirus continue to rise, the government has announced a tightening of restrictions, including curtailing the opening hours of pubs and making the use of face coverings more prevalent.
Briony McDermott, employment solicitor at Wake Smith, looks at the measures brought in to manage infection rates, with a focus on employers and employees.
“Most relevant for most employers is the u-turn in relation to homeworking.
“In July, the message was for employees to return to the office where possible. However yesterday, Michael Gove was clear that office workers who could work from home should do so, seemingly regardless of the measures employers have taken to ensure workplaces are Covid secure.
“Employees who cannot work from home should continue to attend work, provided that employers have implemented a Covid risk assessment and social distancing is observed.
“The Prime Minister’s speech suggested that these measures should be expected to be in place for a period of six months, and with enhanced fines for non-compliance available, employers will need to ensure they adhere to the new restrictions or face enforcement measures such as closures and fines.”
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is due to end on 31 October 2020.
Briony added: “The Government has been firm in its position that they will not extend the scheme beyond this date and as an alternative has created the Coronavirus Job Retention Bonus Scheme.
“This scheme offers an incentive for employers not to make redundancies by paying them a £1,000 bonus for every previously furloughed employee who is retained on certain job conditions until at least the end of January 2021.
“We are still awaiting guidance on the scheme, however this is expected to be published imminently.”
In addition, the government has officially launched its Kickstart Scheme.
Briony said: “The scheme has been created to assist employers create new six-month job placements for young people who are currently in receipt of Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.
“The job placements must support participants in developing the skills and experience they will need to find work after completing their placement.
“Government funding is available for 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours per week, plus associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions.
“In addition, the government will pay employers £1,500 per job placement for setup costs, support and training.
“Employers can access the funding following a successful application process, however there is a minimum limit of 30 job placements per application.
“Employers can partner with other organisations to reach the minimum number and access funding in an attempt not to disadvantage smaller employers.”
For advice on employment matters contact Briony McDermott at [email protected]
