We all want and need to do our bit to limit the spread of the coronavirus and keep vulnerable people safe.
But as the situation changes daily and we have no idea how long this will continue, many companies are trying to cope with a sudden loss of business as social distancing and self-isolation becomes the new norm.
So, how should employers prepare?
First of all, establishing who can work from home is essential. There are some roles that can’t be done anywhere else other than the place of work, such as retail or manufacturing.
If working from home is not possible, an employer will need to determine if they can afford to send staff home on full pay – after all, if an employee is ready, willing and able to work, then they expect to work and more importantly be paid.
For those employers who can implement home working, there are certain factors to be considered.
Factors to consider around staff working from home
1. Do employment contracts include a mobility clause allowing home working (i.e. can the employer require the employee to work at a different location than the normal place of work) or does that need to be achieved by consent?
2. Do staff have access to all equipment needed to do their job?
Most Read
3. What additional expenses will staff incur from home – for example, broadband usage, heat, lighting and telecoms? Will those extra expenses be offset by the removal of commuting expenses or will the employer need to put plans in place to cover them?
4. Putting in place robust processes to monitor productivity of home workers to ensure the business continues to function effectively.
5. Considerations around additional support to help staff transition from office to home working. How will business communicate with their staff to ensure their wellbeing?
With the expectation that sustained efforts will be needed to deal with the pandemic, companies should prepare for a situation that allows for remote working on an ongoing basis for the foreseeable months ahead.
It has never been more important to communicate with your teams and all employers will be relying upon the loyalty and commitment of their people like never before.
There is, however, no denying that the level of uncertainty about the duration of disruption to daily lives creates its own set of problems for businesses, particularly those which cannot easily adapt to a home-working model.
While some businesses may have the luxury of keeping payroll unchanged in the short term, as the situation continues many will have to make difficult decisions to ensure survival of the business.
Don’t miss
The government has already announced a range of measures which are available to businesses to assist with the crisis but there is not yet sufficient clarity around how those measures are to be delivered.
Ultimately, businesses that plan ahead will undoubtedly be in the best position to deal with the uncertainty to come and protect and retain staff.