LEGAL PROMO
Working out the rules at work Jeremy Coy, Associate, Employment team at Russell-Cooke
In the midst of the pandemic what can employers do if employees breach Government guidance or rules outside of work? As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, new rules on what people can do are being introduced and will likely continue to change. With various areas of the country entering different levels of restrictions, employers will need to address issues that arise from employees who
breach lockdown regulations, even if they do so outside of work.
breaches lockdown rules could put their colleagues at risk.
As an employer, can you discipline your staff for what they do in their own time?
There have been instances of employers disciplining employees for their actions outside of work. For example, when a staff member makes inappropriate or offensive comments on social media or engages in criminal conduct.
The short answer is yes, but usually only if an employee’s behaviour has, or could, put their colleagues at risk. You have a duty of care to all your employees. When your staff come into contact with one another, an employee who
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Your employees have responsibilities under health and safety law to cooperate
