Blog Layout

Coronavirus /COVID-19 - Information for Employers

Coronavirus / COVID-19 - Information for Employers - 8th March 2020

With UK cases almost doubling overnight, airlines collapsing and now Coronation Street affected, we have had a number of enquiries from our clients about Coronavirus and what employers should be doing.

STAY INFORMED

This situation is evolving every day so it is crucial to stay up-to-date with the latest information from Public Health England and the government website.  

Make sure you know where your staff are travelling to.  

ACAS have provided a guide too here.

PROVIDE SUPPORT

Keep your staff informed of the latest information too and adjust travel requirements if necessary.  

Ensure that Managers recognise the symptoms of Coronavirus.

Make sure they have access to soap or sanitiser and hot water. In certain industries, you may be required to consider protective clothing or gear.

Consider increasing your cleaning provision, particularly of high-traffic surfaces.

Try to be as open as possible with staff and have an open door policy. Do not be afraid to say that you do not know the answer and direct them to the appropriate forum for further guidance or do some research and reply later.

DEALING WITH ABSENCE

  • If staff are unwell, they can self-certify for 7 days and then will require a medical certificate. New legislation will shortly be brought in to give workers the right to SSP from day one. Bear in mind though that, if staff are infected with Coronavirus, by only paying SSP (rather than full pay), this may discourage them from staying home. This could be short-sighted as you could end up with a much bigger problem if others are infected.
  • If staff are not showing symptoms but have been to an affected country, they should contact 111 by phone or on their dedicated website and get advice. If they are required to self-isolate, how you deal with their absence may depend on a number of factors:
  • If they have been to an affected country against government or company advice this could be grounds to refuse pay for the period of self-isolation.
  • If they have been to an affected country but the advice regarding that country or region changed after they had travelled there, the best practice would be to pay in full as you are effectively having to suspend them on health and safety grounds.
  • If a person chooses to self-isolate but there is no requirement or medical advice to do so, then you could take steps to take disciplinary action and treat this as unpaid, unauthorised leave.
  • If a member of staff requires time off to care for a child who has been asked to self-isolate, the usual “time off for dependants” applies.

PLAN AHEAD
Make contingency plans for your business.  
If possible, prepare for staff to be able to work remotely and for your business to continue.
Make sure managers have access to contact details.
Request that work is taken home on a daily basis in case a person is required to work from home.

BALANCE YOUR DUTIES
You have a duty of care to provide a safe system of work – this might include asking those who may be infected to self-isolate, curtailing travel or allowing vulnerable staff to work from home where they may be a risk of infection.

You have a duty not to discriminate and to prevent discrimination amongst workers.  

You have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers and to conduct a risk assessment for pregnant workers or workers of child-bearing age and this might include allowing vulnerable staff to work from home if possible.

Requiring information about staff travel on personal holidays could be seen as an invasion of privacy but it will almost certainly be justified as you have a legitimate reason to investigate.  

You will have to balance these duties with other factors such as your need to protect your business’ reputation, keeping your business profitable and your responsibilities under the Data Protection Act to keep personal data secure (remembering also that health information amounts to special category data).

QUESTIONS
We know that this piece does not cover every aspect of this changing situation and we would be happy to discuss any further queries you might have. If you have a further question or would like to the discuss the fixed-price support services that we offer which includes unlimited legal advice about Coronavirus and any other employment law issues, please do get in touch here

A woman is using a calculator on a wooden table.
By Emily Kidd March 31, 2025
A full time employee that is over 21 will soon be earning nearly £24,000 per annum which could mean that more employees are close to the minimum wage. Having an employee working close to the minimum wage poses risks to businesses. For example, if an employee works any overtime, they may then fall below the minimum wage.
A woman is sitting at a table in an office writing on a piece of paper.
January 13, 2025
Kilgannon & Partners outlines key steps to comply with the new UK duty to prevent workplace sexual harassment. Services include risk assessments, policy updates, staff training, and confidential reporting. Contact us for support.
A person is holding an approved stamp in their hand.
By Natasha Davies December 16, 2024
The UK Home Office has expanded its sponsor licence priority services to offer greater flexibility and faster processing for prospective and current sponsors of migrant workers. Removal of the Pre-Licence Priority Service Cap Previously, the Home Office limited the number of daily applications for its pre-licence priority service to 30. This daily cap has now been removed. The pre-licence priority service is designed for organisations that have applied for a sponsor licence and seek to bring skilled workers to the UK more swiftly. By paying a £500 fee, applicants can reduce their waiting time from approximately eight weeks to around ten working days.
The inside of a courtroom with a judge 's bench and chairs.
By Gerard Airey December 16, 2024
Kilgannon and Partners are pleased to post that our client, Carmen Chevalier-Firescu, has succeeded in defending an appeal from HSBC about the strike out of her claim in the Court of Appeal. Carmen’s claim was initially struck out by the East London Employment Tribunal. One of the reasons given was that it was not just and equitable to extend time. The Employment Appeal Tribunal decided that this needed to be revisited by the Tribunal. This led to HSBC appealing to the Court of Appeal to try and reinstate the original decision.
A woman is sitting at a desk writing in a notebook with a pen.
By Natasha Davies December 12, 2024
An employer must check right to work through one of the following three methods before the employee commences employment
A man is sitting in a chair talking on a cell phone.
By Louise Maynard October 31, 2024
Extension of whistleblowing protection: A case of public importance: Disclosures made before commencement of employment and disclosures made by charity trustees.
A pregnant woman is sitting at a table holding her belly.
By Kilgannon & Partners October 8, 2024
At Kilgannon and Partners, we are proud to support the movement towards more flexible working arrangements, as emphasised in the recent report by Pregnant Then Screwed. This groundbreaking report sheds light on the transformative impact flexible working can have on employees, employers, and society as a whole.
A man and a woman are sitting at a table looking at papers.
By Marianne Wright August 11, 2024
Unfair dismissal claims are among the most common types of cases brought before employment tribunals. Defending these claims effectively requires careful strategy, meticulous preparation, and a strong understanding of the legal complexities involved. This article outlines key strategies for UK employers to maximise their chances of success in unfair dismissal cases.
A man is laying on a couch reading a book.
By Yeing-Chang Long August 11, 2024
The concept of a 4-day work week—where employees work the same number of hours but compressed into four days instead of five—has been gaining momentum globally. With a large-scale UK trials showing overwhelmingly positive results, many businesses are pondering if this could be the future of work.
A black and white photo of big ben and the labour logo
By Louise Maynard August 5, 2024
The Labour Government has set itself a big target to modernise the world of work by promising to introduce legislation within 100 days of entering government.
More Posts
Share by: