- Employment law for employers
- Employment law for employees
Shorter Reads
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant health and safety challenge to employers, who have a duty of care to ensure staff work in a safe environment.
1 minute read
Published 31 March 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant health and safety challenge to employers, who have a duty of care to ensure staff work in a safe environment. This applies to those who need to come into the workplace and those working from home.
The Health and Safety Executive advise that there should be regular contact with home workers to avoid any worker feeling isolated, which can affect stress levels and have adverse mental health consequences.
When working from home, employers should be particularly mindful of staff morale and mental health. Providing guidance, such as Collyer Bristow’s Guide to Working From Home, and regularly checking in on them, can go a long way.
Employers should also ensure that they have an up to date home-working policy and:
If a worker shows symptoms of COVID-19 then they should go home and self-isolate in order to combat the spread. Employers may wish to update their policy regarding sick pay to reflect changes to the statutory sick pay regime.
Effective communication will be key to ensuring that employees are kept abreast of developments and that they have full confidence in the measures that their employer will undoubtedly have to take to respond to the current pandemic.
If you have any questions on this topic or any other, please contact our free 30 minute Coronavirus Employment Advice Helpline and we can help you to consider the options available to you and your business.
Related content
Shorter Reads
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant health and safety challenge to employers, who have a duty of care to ensure staff work in a safe environment.
Published 31 March 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant health and safety challenge to employers, who have a duty of care to ensure staff work in a safe environment. This applies to those who need to come into the workplace and those working from home.
The Health and Safety Executive advise that there should be regular contact with home workers to avoid any worker feeling isolated, which can affect stress levels and have adverse mental health consequences.
When working from home, employers should be particularly mindful of staff morale and mental health. Providing guidance, such as Collyer Bristow’s Guide to Working From Home, and regularly checking in on them, can go a long way.
Employers should also ensure that they have an up to date home-working policy and:
If a worker shows symptoms of COVID-19 then they should go home and self-isolate in order to combat the spread. Employers may wish to update their policy regarding sick pay to reflect changes to the statutory sick pay regime.
Effective communication will be key to ensuring that employees are kept abreast of developments and that they have full confidence in the measures that their employer will undoubtedly have to take to respond to the current pandemic.
If you have any questions on this topic or any other, please contact our free 30 minute Coronavirus Employment Advice Helpline and we can help you to consider the options available to you and your business.
Need some more information? Make an enquiry below.
Subscribe
Please add your details and your areas of interest below
Article contributor
Partner - Head of Employment
Specialising in Employment law for employees and Employment law for employers
Enjoy reading our articles? why not subscribe to notifications so you’ll never miss one?
Subscribe to our articlesPlease note that Collyer Bristow provides this service during office hours for general information and enquiries only and that no legal or other professional advice will be provided over the WhatsApp platform. Please also note that if you choose to use this platform your personal data is likely to be processed outside the UK and EEA, including in the US. Appropriate legal or other professional opinion should be taken before taking or omitting to take any action in respect of any specific problem. Collyer Bristow LLP accepts no liability for any loss or damage which may arise from reliance on information provided. All information will be deleted immediately upon completion of a conversation.
Close