Introduced in March 2020, the furlough scheme was put in place by the UK government to pay employees throughout lockdown period and whilst businesses could not operate due to COVID. This financial assistance has played a crucial part in supporting businesses with financial assistance. Following this the government extended the scheme and will pay up to 70% of wages until the end of October 2020.
Minimising risk, post furlough
With COVID precautionary steps now in place, at this point during the year, now sees a crucial time period for companies across the UK, as they begin to bring staff back off furlough with an aim to sustain their team and continue productivity.
For employees returning to work, they could find themselves in a strange situation whereby regular business activities have altered post COVID, these may seem very unfamiliar at first. Employees may also be dealing with their own mental health issues. They may feel detached from fellow workers even that their not sure how to adapt. These are all matters that employers need to be conscious of, offering an integrated approach with regular catch up meetings maybe helpful to both sides.
Further to this, the onus is on the employee to provide a safe environment in which staff can work safely and so companies have gone to great lengths to risk assess offices, factories, cafes, shops and other places of work to protect employees and minimise COVID exposure.
JRW Risk Solutions are committed to supporting UK companies and employers of multi-teams with commercial liability insurance. To find out more about how we can help your office-based business, manufacturing premises or similar, please contact our team or see our insurance website for more details.
For further information on the UK Government Furlough scheme, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-extends-scheme-until-october