Ensuring your employees are well informed and feel protected will be a significant concern for all responsible employers at this time.
We have collated a list of useful links in order to help you support your team; please do feel free to forward this bulletin or to copy and paste the information below into your own employee communication channels.
Working From Home: With the exception of key workers – see above – everyone should now be working from home wherever possible. Tips and advice on staying mentally well while isolated from other team members can be found on mentalhealth.org.uk.
Sick Pay: Employees are entitled to £94.25 per week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if they are too ill to work. This includes individuals who are caring for people in the same household and therefore have been advised to do a household quarantine. Visit the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) page for more information.
Furloughed workers: If you, as an employer, intend to access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, you will need to furlough your workers. This would mean that they are kept on your payroll rather than being laid off. To qualify for this scheme workers cannot undertake work for you while they are furloughed.
This allows you to pay a minimum of 80% of workers’ wages up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
Employers can choose to fund the differences between this payment and the usual salary, but you do not have to.
Claiming Benefits: If a worker’s salary is reduced as a result of these changes, they may be eligible for support through the welfare system, including Universal Credit and rent costs.
Additional information and links can be found on the gov.uk website >>>