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One year on: How coronavirus has changed workplaces One year on, and everything has changed. Employees no longer attend their traditional workplace because they are furloughed, remote working or redundant. And for those still attending, it often looks and feels different. Lance Hobbs from HR Dept Ealing assesses some of the changes with an optimistic nod to the future.
“Furlough and redundancy have taken work away from millions of people. The expectation is, when we come out the other side, jobs will return. Remote working has been an eye-opener: the crash-course in technology as home workstations were set up and people navigated the etiquette of VCs. “This has broken down barriers to flexible working. Some may switch to a remote working model. There will be cost savings but with many issues to consider from H&S to company culture, data security and more. Businesses which manage flexible working are destined to thrive. “With the gender pay gap already persistent, women fared badly at the start of the pandemic. A study by the IFS (mid-2020) found that working mothers were 14% more likely to be furloughed than fathers, and 47% more likely to have lost their job.
Redundancy Pay – Did you know the Government will pay if the company you work for goes out of business? The number of redundancies has spiked sharply due to Covid-19. Redundant employees have some statutory rights, including getting redundancy pay. Normally the employer pays this. But what happens when a company goes out of business? The answer, which many are not aware of, is that the Insolvency Service (a Government agency), will fund the redundancy payment. What can employees apply for when made redundant? Employees made redundant due to the insolvency of the company they work for can apply for: • Statutory redundancy pay, providing the employee has worked for their employer.
“The restrictions we have faced leave a mental health crisis in their wake. There was already a momentum for managing mental health at work, and there is an opportunity to build on this with more businesses understanding the benefits of offering support in this area.” For enquiries on any aspects of the effects of the pandemic on employers contact Chamber member Lance Hobbs from The HR Dept, at Lance.hobbs@hrdept.co.uk
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• Outstanding holiday pay. • Unpaid wages, overtime, and commission. • Statutory notice pay if the employee has worked for the employer for at least one year. What about Company Directors? Directors are entitled to the same redundancy payments when a business becomes insolvent as employees. The criteria are: • Does the director have a contract of employment? • Has the director worked for at least 16 hours per week?
Serving Our Superheroes In April we celebrated one year of Serving Our Superheroes.
“However, a flexible working approach may make the workplace more accessible for mothers. Building this into your hiring processes will reap dividends through widening your talent pool. “Not everyone has been banished from their workplace. NHS staff have been doing a wonderful job. The nation has also found new appreciation of many professions and trades, keyworkers, who keep the country going.
for at least 2 years. The claim must be made within 6 months.
It was on 13th April 2020 that, I started the project Serving Our Superheroes. We started off with laundry bags for front line care staff to (hospitals, hospice, paramedics, and care homes) to prevent the spread of the infection via uniforms. At the time we were also trying to source medical grade PPE for hospitals, where there was a shortage. We raised a small amount of money for our local hospitals trust.
We had lots of support from the local community sewing bags and we provided 2,400 laundry bags to frontline staff. When these were no longer required, we then moved onto fabric bags for foodbanks with the aim to reduce the use of plastic bags. We provided fabric face masks and have provided over 14,000 face masks that have been given out to the community for free. We were also asked to make toiletry bags for the NHS, which we did. We filled the small bags with essential hygiene items (toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel / soap, body lotion, shaving kits etc). We then started providing these to the homeless, along with walking boots, sleeping bags, blankets, clothes etc. We also started to provide baby items and kids clothes to those in need and have provided toys and games consoles to hospices, hospitals, and baby banks. During
• Has the company been incorporated for over two years? • Was the director genuinely carrying out a practical role for the company? It is our job to save businesses – and jobs. It is the job of insolvency practitioners and restructuring specialists such as Antony Batty & Company to save businesses (and jobs) as well as implement insolvency procedures. As the most recent R3 survey shows, where insolvency practitioners were involved, 40% of insolvent businesses were saved. https://www.antonybatty. com/insolvency-practitionersachieve-positive-outcomes/ Part of the service Antony Batty & Company offer to businesses in financial difficulties is to talk to their employees on the directors’ behalf – removing the emotional tie directors may feel to them – to give them practical help and guidance.
the second wave, we started providing treat bags to NHS staff and other key workers. We have recently started collaborating with two other charities to provide new clothes to the homeless and we are hoping to start providing uniforms to schools, for parents who have lost their jobs and can no longer afford them. On 22nd September 2020 we became a registered charity. To date we have donated 39,809 items to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Serving Our Superheroes has received an International Stevie Award, The Hounslow & West London Chamber of Commerce Business Award for Best Charity and has been shortlisted for the Thames Valley Business and Community Award out of over 1,000 nominees (we are awaiting the results – due end of April). We have a just giving page https://www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/sarah-gardner-2 Follow us on Facebook to find out more; https:// www.facebook.com/ servingoursuperheroes.
