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Boris Johnson has announced from Monday 19th July 2021 England will be moving to the fourth and final stage of the roadmap on lifting lockdown restrictions that we have be adhering to over the last 16 months. The Government have said that the pandemic is not over and...
The UK Government have recently announced that Portugal is now on the Amber country travel list. This decision was made because of the increase in the cases of the variants of coronavirus in Portugal, including the Indian variant. Tourists from the UK are now...
What is a Hybrid workplace? A hybrid workplace consists of mixing remote working with office work. Hybrid working allows better flexibility as to when the work can be done and allows employees to fit their work in around their personal life; rather than attending the...
The world of work has been altered for millions of people over the last 18 months. For many the relationship with the office has been severed and we have developed a new paradigm that includes online meetings, less travel and lunches at home with the family. But for...
Since March 2020 when the Coronavirus pandemic hit the UK, many employees who have health issues were classified as clinically vulnerable, or extremely clinically vunerable, depending on their illness and were told to shield by the UK Government. From April 2021,...
An employment tribunal has recently found an employer fairly dismissed an employee who refused to wear a face covering. The employee worked for a distribution company who transported food products from suppliers to customers. Due to the coronavirus pandemic one of the...
Long Covid The recovery rate from coronavirus can differ from person to person. Some have felt better in a week or two, some, unfortunately, have had symptoms that have lasted longer. Research conducted in October 2021 stated that an estimated 1.3 million people were...
After being away from the workplace for a while, employees may have worries and concerns about returning to work. Some have been off for several weeks others it could be months. The Health and Safety of employees must be a priority for all employers. Employers need to...
What is Self-Certification Self-Certification is a form that employers can ask employees to complete after they have been away from work due to sickness. A self-certification form can be used when an employee has been absent from work for seven working days or less....
Can employers require employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19? Covid-19 vaccines are not available yet for employers to purchase to provide to employees. Employers have a duty to ensure the health and safety at work of their employees, and therefore are encouraged...
With the current roll out of the coronavirus vaccine, employers may be looking at whether they can insist on employees having the vaccine. The government have previously stated that they will not be making the vaccine compulsory for all, but that they wish to do it by...
When the pandemic struck in March 2020, we were all put into lockdown, which saw some workplaces close and requests for employees who could work from home to do so. Overnight businesses had to find new ways to allow them to still operate as best as they could. Video...
Boris Johnson announced tonight (4th January) that England will enter into another national lockdown. The same as the March 2020 lockdown, we are told that we must stay at home except for permitted reasons. Schools, colleges and universities will close to pupils from...
A New Year can often mean a new start for many people. January and February are often the busiest months, with people looking for a new job. However 2021 will be a different start to the year than what employers are used to due to Covid-19. Businesses will usually be...
The government have announced that lockdown will end next week (2nd December 2020). Along with this announcement they have announced their Winter Plan to help control Covid19 during the winter months. From Wednesday 2nd December people will again be allowed to leave...
The government have announced new timescales for employers to lodge a furlough claim with the HMRC. All claims must be submitted within two weeks of the end of the previous calendar month, unless there is a reasonable excuse for not making a claim in this time frame....
Further to the announcement of a second national lockdown in England, the Government have extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) – aka furlough scheme – until 31st March 2021. The furlough scheme will continue to be flexible and furloughed employees will...
Following the Government announcement on 31st October 2020 those living in England will enter into a second national lockdown from 5th November 2020, with people in England being advised to ‘stay at home’ and non-essential shops, leisure, pubs, restaurants, cafes,...
On the 22nd October 2020 the chancellor announced changes to the Job Support Scheme (JSS) which is replacing the furlough scheme in November 2020. The changes mean that employers will pay less and employees can work fewer hours to qualify for the scheme. Job Support...
The coronavirus 19 pandemic has without a doubt affected the lives of everyone around the world in one way or another. Dentistry is no exception. With new procedures, mental health concerns and a loss of earnings for almost everyone within the sector, adapting to the...
Is an employee entitled to their normal/full pay during their notice period if they are made redundant while on furlough? Yes, where an employee is given notice of redundancy while they are on furlough leave as long as they are ‘ready and willing to work’ they are...
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is now a legal requirement for some organisations to collect customer, visitor and staff contact details for contact tracing purposes. These businesses have had to adhere to strict measures to ensure they are keeping customers and...
The job support scheme opens on 1st November 2020 and will run for 6 months until April 2021. Any employers using the Job Support Scheme will also be able to claim the Job Retention Bonus if they meet the eligible criteria for the JRB. The scheme is designed to...
Update on the Job Retention Bonus Further to the latest Treasury Direction, issued last Friday (2 October 2020) we can confirm the following updates on the Job Retention Bonus (JRB). Employers can claim for employees who: had an eligible claim made for them under the...
Having a temperature of 37.8 degrees or more is one of the main symptoms of Covid-19. Many companies are introducing a Covid temperature check policy where temperature checks are performed upon entry to the workplace, to see if employees have a temperature of 37.8 or...
