Legal 16

programme, managers can ask employees if they have any concerns about returning. As always, managers need to be alert to any signs of mental or physical health conditions that may have a significant impact on the employee.

Long Covid

Widely reported symptoms of long Covid include fatigue and ‘brain fog’ (difficulties with memory and concentrating). On some days, employees may struggle working their full hours and performing to their usual level.

As a new condition, not a lot is known about long Covid. If it is likely to have an impact on the employee for 12 months, it could well be a disability under the Equality Act. Even if it is not a disability, employers may need to support staff with long Covid before moving to deal with sickness absence or reduced performance under the formal absence or capability procedures. Acas has published guidance for employers. It is worth bearing in mind, that long Covid is reported to affect women, people from ethnic minorities and older people more seriously. Please get in touch for advice if the employee falls within one of these groups, as your treatment of them in relation to long Covid could be indirect discrimination.

To be protected under the Equality Act 2010, the employee has to have a health condition which meets the statutory definition.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Please note that the law may have changed since this article was published.

BARKER GOTELEE

barkergotelee.co.uk

NEED HELP WITH YOUR EXPORTS?

The Government has launched a new 12-point export strategy to help the region’s businesses sell their products around the world.

‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ is backed by the Department for International Trade (DIT), and aims to reap the benefits of current free trade deals.

For example, the Export Support Service offers a one-stop shop for exporting advice, while the UK Tradeshow Programme is tailored to help businesses, particularly outside London and the South East, to attend and promote their products around the world.

The UK Export Academy will also be expanded, with specific help for SME owners and managers in the form of masterclasses, roundtables and networking events to overcome common challenges faced by first-time exporters.

The UK exported £600 billion in goods and services last year1, but only around one in ten GB businesses currently export2 – well behind continental competitors like Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands3 .

The Government believes that unlocking the UK’s exporting potential will help level up the country and boost the UK’s economy (e.g. exports supported 6.5 million jobs across the UK in 2016).

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan says: “This is a defining moment in our national trading story. As we agree ambitious new trade deals around the world, it is more vital than ever that businesses across the UK take advantage of these opportunities and unleash their full exporting potential.

“Reaching £1 trillion worth of exports by the end of this decade means more jobs, more opportunities and higher wages helping the UK to level up and build back better.”

Minister for Exports, Mike Freer MP, added: “We know businesses are at different points on their exporting journey. Some are already successful exporters but want to sell more products or reach new markets. Others are yet to take the leap and export for the first time.