Member Articles

As we face a new period of lockdown, the memories of March come flooding back. However, it is useful to remember that, as a nation, we are better prepared this time, and our shared experiences of the last ten months will help to ensure we tackle the challenge ahead positively, constructively and from a more informed position than before.

As business resilience continues to be challenged, we thought you may find it useful to have sight of some of the most popular Covid-related insights we published through 2020.

We also continue to maintain our Covid ‘Business Support Measures’ and ‘Business Continuity’ guides, which can be found on our dedicated Covid hub.

We hold a number of free webinars on current hot topics, please see the link at the bottom of this email, to be taken to our dedicated event page for further details.

Presenteeism: Through Covid & beyond
Employee absence, while it can be completely natural and acceptable for a variety of reasons, is costly for business. However, the opposite, in the form of presenteeism, can be equally damaging and it’s unfortunately on the rise. Read more...

The future of flexible working post-Covid
Flexible working as a legal concept has existed in the UK since 2003. Yet since then, most employers have been reluctant to offer or fully utilise it for the benefit of their staff. What should and could happen now? Read more...

What can an employer do when an employee breaks the current Covid rules?
With the re-imposing of restrictions and heightening of sanctions imposed on those who do not self-isolate when instructed, employers need to consider whether and to what extent it is appropriate to take action against employees who break the rules. Read more...

Getting the balance: Homeworking & employee mental health
Prior to COVID-19, some employers already had flexible working practices in place that enabled employees to work from home. However, in March 2020 a lot of employers suddenly found themselves taking part in the national experiment of enforced homeworking. This provided employers with new challenges, especially those who unexpectedly had an entire workforce working remotely. Read more...

Beware out of sight out of mind on homeworking employees
With a number of the UK’s workforce working from home during COVID-19, could there be some individuals or teams using the time and freedom to shape plans for their next role, to compete or to seize opportunity to engage in foul play in support of those plans? Read more...

Shh - homeworking & protecting trade secrets & other confidential info
It is crucial for businesses to remind their employees about maintaining confidentiality not least of their trade secrets. Caught up in the novel and sometimes challenging situation of homeworking, it is easy for employees to overlook this highly important issue, and the risks posed by it. Read more...

Leading and adapting in challenging times: managing a newly remote team
The dynamics of a previously high performing team will shift in response to the recent working from home directive. As leaders we need to understand the factors that will impact even the most resilient and high performing colleagues. Read more...

How to carry out remote right to work checks
Many HR teams and those normally responsible for carrying out right to work checks are working remotely. However, in order to maintain compliance with UKVI policy, right to work checks must continue, presenting logistical problems for many employers. Read more...