Should I rehire an ex-employee so I can furlough them?

    It has now become clear that even if an ex-employee was not made redundant because of coronavirus but left employment for other reasons, you can rehire them and then place them on furlough, claiming back 80% of their salary from HMRC through the

Changes to holiday rules during coronavirus

Many employers will be struggling with annual leave over the coming months. In some sectors this will be because they are a key industry and as such are exceptionally busy, and need all the workers they can get during the coronavirus pandemic. In some sectors

I don’t need to furlough everyone – who should I choose?

Many small businesses are taking advantage of the Governments new Job Retention Scheme and placing staff on ‘furlough’ at 80% of salary, reclaimable through HMRC. It’s a good way to cope with having to close down operations or significantly scale them back without having to

I need staff to go on furlough but they won’t agree – what do I do?

If you are needing to take advantage of the Government’s new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and place staff on ‘furlough’ due to a lack of work at this time, then unless you have a lay-off clause in your employment contracts (which most small businesses do

What has changed about SSP during the coronavirus crisis?

Some of the many new initiatives/legislative changes the Government has been rushing through in response to the coronavirus crisis are a number of temporary changes to statutory sick pay (SSP) arrangements. If you’re unsure about what’s different and what you should be doing, here’s a

New starters not eligible for furlough – how shall I handle them?

The Government’s new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been set up to help employees who would otherwise be out of a job due to the current health crisis stay in work. Many staff were made redundant before the scheme was announced, so the Government has

After a restructuring in a small business – implementing change successfully

The post-restructuring period is just as important as the actual restructuring process itself, and it can get overlooked as manager worry about communication and redundancy procedures. But handling that period after the formal procedure has been completed well is just as important to making sure

What’s the difference between ‘furlough’ and ‘lay-off’?

On Friday the Government announced as part of its measures to assist businesses through the coronavirus crisis a Job Retention Scheme. Reference is made ‘furloughed’ workers and where this is happening, the government will fund 80% of salary costs (to a maximum of £2,500 monthly). But

Legal considerations when designing a restructure

As well as considering what a restructured organisation will ‘look like’ and how and when you are going to communicate plans with staff, there may be elements of your planned restructure that involve a formal legal procedure or have potential legal vulnerabilities. Possible redundancies It is

What to do if you have employees reluctant or refusing to self-isolate

These are unprecedented times, and HR professionals and managers alike are racing to keep up with Government guidance and arrangements on self-isolation, quarantine and pay entitlements for affected employees. As well as constantly changing guidance and the fact that everything happening in a hurry means