HR Support
In light of the current advice provided by Public Health experts, DfE, LA and/or your trust regarding Coronavirus, we wanted to reassure you that our BIRCH-HR services and support will continue as normal. We are available via e mail, telephone and telephone conference calls. We do have the use of Microsoft Teams (the hub for teamwork in Office 365). This facility allows us to collaborate via video conference and work on HR documents/templates with you - it is similar to Skype, but better! Should you require a face to face call with us, we can also do this via Microsoft Teams. We have a number of HR meetings, interviews and hearings/appeals scheduled in the next few weeks and your Senior HR Consultant will discuss with you, how to best manage these on a case by case basis. Our HR Consultants and colleagues can easily work from home and still be available to support you, should travel and client restrictions be placed upon us.
School Based Staff
For school-based staff normal sickness and leave of absence ( such as emergency time off reporting procedures) will apply. There is no reason in principal why absences for coronavirus should be treated any differently to genuine absences for other causes. No disability discrimination issues should arise from the virus itself as the symptoms are unlikely to last for more than 12months, although employees with disabilities such as auto-immune conditions, respiratory conditions or diabetes, are likely to suffer more severe symptoms (and therefore take greater time of work) if they catch the virus.
In light of the current advice provided by Public Health experts, DfE, LA and/or your trust regarding Coronavirus, we wanted to reassure you that our BIRCH-HR services and support will continue as normal. We are available via e mail, telephone and telephone conference calls. We do have the use of Microsoft Teams (the hub for teamwork in Office 365). This facility allows us to collaborate via video conference and work on HR documents/templates with you - it is similar to Skype, but better! Should you require a face to face call with us, we can also do this via Microsoft Teams. We have a number of HR meetings, interviews and hearings/appeals scheduled in the next few weeks and your Senior HR Consultant will discuss with you, how to best manage these on a case by case basis. Our HR Consultants and colleagues can easily work from home and still be available to support you, should travel and client restrictions be placed upon us.
School Based Staff
For school-based staff normal sickness and leave of absence ( such as emergency time off reporting procedures) will apply. There is no reason in principal why absences for coronavirus should be treated any differently to genuine absences for other causes. No disability discrimination issues should arise from the virus itself as the symptoms are unlikely to last for more than 12months, although employees with disabilities such as auto-immune conditions, respiratory conditions or diabetes, are likely to suffer more severe symptoms (and therefore take greater time of work) if they catch the virus.
SME Staff
The legal position for our SME Clients is that you can send your staff home and if they cannot work from home, you would be under no obligation to pay unless this is included in your employment contracts or any terms implied through custom and practice with regard to sick pay for genuinely ill employees. Most of our SME clients have contractual terms that provide only for the payment of statutory sick pay (SSP) with the possibility of discretionary payment of contractual sick pay. If you have lay-off clauses in your contacts you could invoke these. If you wish to consider this, please check your contracts to confirm that you have the right to do so, then call your BIRCH consultant to discuss further. Statutory guaranteed pay for periods of lay off is currently £29 per day (increasing to £30 per day from April 2020) for the first 5 days of any 12-week period. With no lay off clause, you could give notice to force annual leave – ensuring the notice is at least double the time of the duration of the leave.
Guidance has been sent to UK employers to say staff who are asked to self-isolate should be entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP) from the first day of absence. Medical advice on self-isolation should be considered as ‘sickness’ for employment purposes. Normal sickness reporting arrangements and emergency time off will also apply. For some of our SME Clients, we envisage that it will be very difficult for some staff to work from home. However, where it is practical for some employees to carry out duties from home, we would encourage you to allow this so your business can continue and staff are supported as much as possible. You can train your staff in non-essential roles to cover business functions and to enable them to work.
As you may be aware the Prime Minister said workers should be paid sick leave from the first day they are off, either statutory sick pay or contractual sick pay.
The legal position for our SME Clients is that you can send your staff home and if they cannot work from home, you would be under no obligation to pay unless this is included in your employment contracts or any terms implied through custom and practice with regard to sick pay for genuinely ill employees. Most of our SME clients have contractual terms that provide only for the payment of statutory sick pay (SSP) with the possibility of discretionary payment of contractual sick pay. If you have lay-off clauses in your contacts you could invoke these. If you wish to consider this, please check your contracts to confirm that you have the right to do so, then call your BIRCH consultant to discuss further. Statutory guaranteed pay for periods of lay off is currently £29 per day (increasing to £30 per day from April 2020) for the first 5 days of any 12-week period. With no lay off clause, you could give notice to force annual leave – ensuring the notice is at least double the time of the duration of the leave.
Guidance has been sent to UK employers to say staff who are asked to self-isolate should be entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP) from the first day of absence. Medical advice on self-isolation should be considered as ‘sickness’ for employment purposes. Normal sickness reporting arrangements and emergency time off will also apply. For some of our SME Clients, we envisage that it will be very difficult for some staff to work from home. However, where it is practical for some employees to carry out duties from home, we would encourage you to allow this so your business can continue and staff are supported as much as possible. You can train your staff in non-essential roles to cover business functions and to enable them to work.
As you may be aware the Prime Minister said workers should be paid sick leave from the first day they are off, either statutory sick pay or contractual sick pay.
Casual, zero-hours and agency worker contracts
Those on casual, zero-hours and agency workers contracts should be able to claim SSP.
Communication during shutdown
It is vital that line managers maintain regular contact with their reports during a shutdown and when staff are working from home. One to one phone calls can help employees voice concerns and group e-mails can make people feel part of a team and this will help teams bounce back once the crisis has passed. Employers must ensure employees are fully aware of recommendations around hygiene and hand washing, what to do if they feel ill and your policy issues on self-isolation and sick pay.Communication during shutdown
BIRCH-HR will be guided by national and local advice and will be in contact, as further key updates and information are provided. Follow the Department of Health and Social Care for trusted information regarding coronavirus.
Please do discuss with your Senior HR consultant if you require further clarification or contact 0121 674 4230 info@birch-hr.co.uk.