In this episode of the podcast I cover further detail about the job retention / furlough scheme following the publishing of guidance from HMRC late on the 26th March 2020.

In this episode I will cover:

• The qualifying date an employee needs to have been working for you and on your payroll in order to qualify for the 80% wages grant.
• How to calculate wages for a zero hours employee.
• How to calculate wages for someone with irregular hours and pay.
• Your options if you were due to take on a new starter in this time.
• How the scheme will work in practice.
• What information you need to have to provide to HMRC in order to claim.
• How to implement with staff.
• Why you have to pay staff and the recover the money rather than withholding pay until you have the money from HMRC.

Action Points

1. Check employee contracts to see what your obligations are and what changes you can make.
2. Draw up a list of employees or roles that may need to be furloughed.
3. Start talking to staff about your plans and the reasons for it.
4. Communicate with staff and ensure you put the details of the furlough scheme in writing.
5. Where possible get the employees written agreement to the change.
6. Create a spreadsheet to record details of furloughed employees.
7. Speak to your accountant or payroll provider about how they can assist you in reporting and/or calculations.
8. Listen to the first episode of the podcast – part 1 for more details about the scheme.
9. If in doubt get advice.

Resources: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

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Support from the RELA Team

DIY Furlough Support Package available to download for £50 plus VAT will be available shortly and will include:

1. Letter/notice to all staff asking for volunteers and notifying staff of proposal.
2. Example Selection criteria.
3. Letter notifying staff that they are being furloughed.
4. Furlough agreement.
5. FAQ’s sheet to issue to employees.

Business Support from a Solicitor: For a fixed fee of £250 plus VAT we can provide:

1. Review of your employment contracts to check relevant applicable clauses that may assist in your decision making.
2. Providing advice on options available at this time in respect of staff during the current situation including:
   • Furlough
   • Reducing hours
   • Redundancy
   • Lay-off
3. Up to 1-hour of telephone calls to discuss and answer questions.
4. Template letter depending on your choice of action.
5. FAQ’s document for furloughed employees.
6. Automatic updates when available of if there are changes to the scheme.

For more information or to access these offers for employers please contact us on 01983 897003 or by email: alison@realemploymentlawadvice.co.uk

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Please do leave your thoughts on this issue in the comments section below. Please ensure that any comments are respectful to all views and opinions.

As part of our HR Harbour annual subscription service for employers we provide guidance and training for employers, supervisors and managers. If you would like to know more about the HR Harbour Service and how you can get unlimited support from as little as £198 per month please contact me for a no obligation discussion – alison@realemploymentlawadvice.co.uk or you can find full details here: HR Harbour

Don’t forget you can contact us by telephone 01983 897003, 01722 653001 or 023 8098 2006

---

Would you like advice about your situation?

Appointments are available on the telephone or via Skype throughout the UK.

Alternatively we offer face to face appointments on the Isle of Wight, Salisbury, Eastleigh, Southampton, Fareham, Portsmouth, Winchester and surrounding areas in Hampshire.

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The information contained in this Podcast and post is provided for guidance and is a snapshot of the law at the time. It is provided for your information only and should not be used as a substitute for obtaining legal advice that it specific to your particular circumstances.

The guidance should not be relied upon in any decision making process. It is strongly recommended that you seek advice before taking action.

Solicitors Isle of Wight | Solicitors Salisbury | Solicitors Eastleigh | Solicitors Portsmouth

HR Isle of Wight | HR Salisbury | HR Eastleigh |HR Portsmouth

In this episode of the podcast I cover the key points about the job retention / furlough scheme that were known as of Thursday 26th March.

Further details have been released since this episode was recorded and will be followed with a Part 2 episode with more information.

In this episode I will cover:

• What is furloughing and what does it mean.
• What is the difference between lay-off and furloughing.
• The purpose of the job retention scheme.
• The impact of furloughing on your contractual obligations.
• What an employee can do if you do not pay them the full 100% of salary.
• Process for furloughing staff and what you need to do.
• Employers obligation to pay employees and then recover the money from HMRC.
• Why you need to consider cash flow for the next two months at least.
• Options if you cannot make the payment of wages to staff.
• Holiday and other contractual benefits during the furlough period.
• That the job retention scheme applies to zero hours workers.
• Ways to decide who is furloughed.
• Ways in which you can incentivise employees to remain working during this time when colleagues are furloughed.

Action Points

1. Check employee contracts to see what your obligations are and what changes you can make.
2. Draw up a list of employees or roles that may need to be furloughed.
3. Start talking to staff about your plans and the reasons for it.
4. Communicate with staff and ensure you put the details of the furlough scheme in writing.
5. Where possible get the employees written agreement to the change.
6. Create a spreadsheet to record details of furloughed employees.
7. Listen to the next episode of the podcast – part 2 for more details about the scheme.
8. If in doubt get advice.

---

Support from the RELA Team

DIY Furlough Support Package available to download for £50 plus VAT will be available shortly and will include:

1. Letter/notice to all staff asking for volunteers and notifying staff of proposal.
2. Example Selection criteria.
3. Letter notifying staff that they are being furloughed.
4. Furlough agreement.
5. FAQ’s sheet to issue to employees.

Business Support from a Solicitor: For a fixed fee of £250 plus VAT we can provide:

1. Review of your employment contracts to check relevant applicable clauses that may assist in your decision making.
2. Providing advice on options available at this time in respect of staff during the current situation including:
   • Furlough
   • Reducing hours
   • Redundancy
   • Lay-off
3. Up to 1-hour of telephone calls to discuss and answer questions.
4. Template letter depending on your choice of action.
5. FAQ’s document for furloughed employees.
6. Automatic updates when available of if there are changes to the scheme.

For more information or to access these offers for employers please contact us on 01983 897003 or by email: alison@realemploymentlawadvice.co.uk

---

Please do leave your thoughts on this issue in the comments section below. Please ensure that any comments are respectful to all views and opinions.

As part of our HR Harbour annual subscription service for employers we provide guidance and training for employers, supervisors and managers. If you would like to know more about the HR Harbour Service and how you can get unlimited support from as little as £198 per month please contact me for a no obligation discussion – alison@realemploymentlawadvice.co.uk or you can find full details here: HR Harbour

Don’t forget you can contact us by telephone 01983 897003, 01722 653001 or 023 8098 2006

---

Would you like advice about your situation?

Appointments are available on the telephone or via Skype throughout the UK.

Alternatively we offer face to face appointments on the Isle of Wight, Salisbury, Eastleigh, Southampton, Fareham, Portsmouth, Winchester and surrounding areas in Hampshire.

---

The information contained in this Podcast and post is provided for guidance and is a snapshot of the law at the time. It is provided for your information only and should not be used as a substitute for obtaining legal advice that it specific to your particular circumstances.

The guidance should not be relied upon in any decision making process. It is strongly recommended that you seek advice before taking action.

Solicitors Isle of Wight | Solicitors Salisbury | Solicitors Eastleigh | Solicitors Portsmouth

HR Isle of Wight | HR Salisbury | HR Eastleigh |HR Portsmouth

In this episode of the podcast I cover lay-off and short-time working as possible options for employers in uncertain times.

In this episode I will cover:

• What is lay-off and short-time working?
• In what circumstances can you use lay-off and/or short-time working.
• What guarantee pay is.
• When an employee can apply for a redundancy payment.
• The consequences of laying someone off or putting them on short-time working if you have no contractual right to do so and no agreement in place.
• Some options to consider.
• Why it is important to communicate with staff.
• Why it is important to plan ahead now.

Action Points

1. Check your employee contracts.
2. Note what terms employees have regarding hours, notice and pay.
3. Consider where you can make quick cut backs if you need to.
4. Consult with staff about possible options in the event of a downturn in work or if you need to close the workplace.
5. Check your insurance policy.
6. Review your business continuity plan.
7. Understand your numbers, for example how many months can you pay the wage bill for? total operating costs? break even amount?
8. Seek advice at the earliest opportunity, the investment in good quality advice will save you money in the long run.

Please do leave your thoughts on this issue in the comments section below. Please ensure that any comments are respectful to all views and opinions.

As part of our HR Harbour annual subscription service for employers we provide guidance and training for employers, supervisors and managers. If you would like to know more about the HR Harbour Service and how you can get unlimited support from as little as £198 per month please contact me for a no obligation discussion - alison@realemploymentlawadvice.co.uk or you can find full details here: HR Harbour

Don't forget you can contact us by telephone 01983 897003, 01722 653001 or 023 8098 2006

---

Would you like advice about your situation?

Appointments are available on the telephone or via Skype throughout the UK.

Alternatively we offer face to face appointments on the Isle of Wight, Salisbury, Eastleigh, Southampton, Fareham, Portsmouth, Winchester and surrounding areas in Hampshire.

---

The information contained in this Podcast and post is provided for guidance and is a snapshot of the law at the time. It is provided for your information only and should not be used as a substitute for obtaining legal advice that it specific to your particular circumstances.

The guidance should not be relied upon in any decision making process. It is strongly recommended that you seek advice before taking action.

Solicitors Isle of Wight | Solicitors Salisbury | Solicitors Eastleigh | Solicitors Portsmouth

HR Isle of Wight | HR Salisbury | HR Eastleigh |HR Portsmouth

In this episode of the podcast I cover up to date key information for employers to consider.

Correct as at 09/03/2020.

In this episode I will cover:

• .What if the Employee returns from holiday in an affected area but has no symptoms or obvious exposure?
• What if the employee has possible exposure from someone who is infected and is advised to remain at home by a medical professional or on medical advice issued?
• Closure of the workplace or requiring staff to stay away from the office due to concerns?
• What if an employee has the virus?
• What if an employee wants to stay at home because they are worried or of a nervous disposition?
• What if an employee refuses to stay at home?
• What if the employee cannot work as their child’s school or nursery is closed?
• Some other considerations such as insurance and alternative ways of working.

Action Points

1) Issue a notice to all staff requiring them to inform you immediately if they are at risk because of travel to a location deemed by the Home office to be a risk.

2) Issue a notice to all staff reminding them of the requirement to properly wash their hands and contain any coughs and sneezes.

3) Encourage good hygiene in the workplace and consider increasing cleaning and providing additional sanitising equipment and materials.

4) If your business is such that customers and visitors come onto your premises, display additional notices about hand washing, provide sanitiser and put up notices asking customers to inform you if they have been to one of the affected areas in recent weeks.

5) If you intend to implement a policy of minimum time between returning from holiday to returning to work, notify all staff and inform them how you plan on dealing with this time. If you are going to require them to take holiday for example for these extra days make it clear that you are doing so and refer to the relevant part of your contracts and/or procedures.

6) Review your business continuity plan.

7) Consider your ability to work from home and explore what resources are available to you to enable your business to continue to operate as smoothly as possible.

8) Assign one or two senior people in the business as responsible for monitoring the situation on the www.gov.uk website and within the business.

9) If in doubt seek advice. We are talking to businesses on a daily basis about these issues and we can share best practice, latest advice and support with you.

Please do leave your thoughts on this issue in the comments section below. Please ensure that any comments are respectful to all views and opinions.

Photo-by-Dimitri-Karastelev-on-Unsplash

As part of our HR Harbour annual subscription service for employers we provide guidance and training for employers, supervisors and managers. If you would like to know more about the HR Harbour Service and how you can get unlimited support from as little as £198 per month please contact me for a no obligation discussion - alison@realemploymentlawadvice.co.uk or you can find full details here: HR Harbour

Don't forget you can contact us by telephone 01983 897003, 01722 653001 or 023 8098 2006

---

Would you like advice about your situation?

Appointments are available on the telephone or via Skype throughout the UK.

Alternatively we offer face to face appointments on the Isle of Wight, Salisbury, Eastleigh, Southampton, Fareham, Portsmouth, Winchester and surrounding areas in Hampshire.

---

The information contained in this Podcast and post is provided for guidance and is a snapshot of the law at the time. It is provided for your information only and should not be used as a substitute for obtaining legal advice that it specific to your particular circumstances.

The guidance should not be relied upon in any decision making process. It is strongly recommended that you seek advice before taking action.

Solicitors Isle of Wight | Solicitors Salisbury | Solicitors Eastleigh | Solicitors Portsmouth

HR Isle of Wight | HR Salisbury | HR Eastleigh |HR Portsmouth