Shielding has now ended – what does this mean for employers?
With effect from the 01 August shielding for employees in England has now ended. This therefore means that shielding staffs entitlement to statutory sick pay (SSP) will no longer apply. Whether you continue to make a payment to those staff will be purely down to individual organisations. If you offer contractual sick pay, you can continue to do this if you wish.
In terms of all employees returning to the workplace you can now ask ALL employees to return. Regardless of this change in shielding rules, organisations are still required to make sure that their working environments are safe for staff to return to, including following the 1m plus social distancing rule.
The government guidance has changed with effect from 01 August, whereby they are allowing employers to welcome staff back into workplace should it be safe to do so, .i.e. making sure the organisation is COVID-secure. This is a different stance from the previous messages businesses have been following whereby the Government were encouraging organisations to allow their staff to work from home if they are able to do so. They are still stressing that if any of your employees are vulnerable that they are kept safe whilst in the workplace if working from home is not a possibility.
How can you manage employee’s expectations?
Organisations may find that employees are uncomfortable and anxious about coming back to work after being away for such a significant amount of time. This is to be expected, but there are measures employers can take to help reassure the employee and to keep the responses consistent throughout the organisation. These are;
- Confirming that you are Covid-19 secure and explain how this has been achieved and the measures you have put in place ;
- Put dedicated time aside to listen to your staff as this will help to mitigate against further concern in the future and show your employees that you care about their input by acting on it where possible;
- If appropriate and possible within your organisation look at a potential phased return;
- Consider whether working from home is feasible;
- Discuss the NHS Test and Trace scheme with staff, reiterating the fact that the coronavirus is continuing to be monitored on a local, regional and national level.
- Walk them through the risk assessments you have already completed as part of your return to work emphasising the measures you have put in place to help prevent the spread of coronavirus
We are trying to keep information up-to-date but as guidance is constantly changing, please check our latest blogs and also refer to our COVID FAQ questions which you can access here.
Our HR consultants are more than happy to assist you with any queries you have on this subject if you require additional information or wish to discuss a specific case please call 01924 827869 or contact us.
