Commentary and insights

All items: Coronavirus - workplace management

  • Flexible working and the hybrid model: What are the risks when managing homeworking requests?

    Date:
    29 March 2022

    The pandemic has generated a greater appetite among employees for remote and/or hybrid working patterns. Consultant editor Darren Newman explores how employers can strike a balance between advocating a physical return to the workplace and satisfying staff who are pushing to spend more time working from home.

  • Reducing sick pay for the unvaccinated: Is it a good idea and what are the pitfalls?

    Date:
    21 January 2022

    There have been multiple reports of employers limiting the sick pay entitlement of employees who have chosen not to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Consultant editor Darren Newman explains the potential risks in terms of contractual entitlements, discrimination and employee relations.

  • Mandatory workforce vaccination: Choosing the right approach for your organisation

    Date:
    20 January 2022

    To what extent, if any, can an employer insist on knowing whether employees have been given their full course of COVID-19 vaccines? Even more importantly, can an employer make vaccination a requirement for continued employment? And is it fair to dismiss the vaccine hesitant? These are all issues that employers will have to grapple with in 2022, explains consultant editor Darren Newman.

  • COVID-related employment cases: 10 key lessons for employers

    Date:
    19 November 2021

    Employment tribunals have been deciding coronavirus-related cases throughout 2021. We set out 10 key first-instance rulings related to the pandemic and highlight what lessons employers can learn from them.

  • No jab, no job policies - the legal issues

    Date:
    14 May 2021

    It seems that every phase of the pandemic brings new employment law issues to the fore. The start of the vaccination programme prompted the ongoing debate about whether employers can insist on employees being vaccinated against COVID-19 - a policy pithily summarised as no jab, no job.

  • Planning the future of your workplace: Six things for HR to consider

    Date:
    26 April 2021

    The scale and duration of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the enforced shift to home-based working has led many organisations to think about the future of the workplace and a move towards a hybrid or blended working model. Gemma Dale takes us through six areas for HR to consider as part of its planning process.

  • Coronavirus: The HR challenges continue

    Date:
    29 September 2020

    After a period of relative stability, the number of COVID-19 cases is on an upward curve. Local lockdowns have been enforced and government guidelines are constantly changing, all of which presents new and ongoing challenges for HR.

  • Navigating health and safety obligations during the coronavirus pandemic

    Date:
    11 June 2020

    Government measures intended to reduce health risks during the coronavirus pandemic add a new layer of complexity to employers' health and safety responsibilities. Louis Wustemann examines what employers need to do to remain compliant.

  • Lifting the lockdown: Permanent homeworking arrangements

    Date:
    8 June 2020

    Many organisations moved to large-scale homeworking overnight when coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown arrangements were introduced. But as governments ease restrictions, some are now actively considering whether or not the arrangements could be made permanent.

  • Returning to work: Eight challenges identified by HR professionals

    Date:
    21 May 2020

    Employers in England are being encouraged to reopen workplaces to staff who cannot work from home, while those in other parts of the UK are likely to be making plans ahead of similar moves. Sheila Attwood reports on how respondents to XpertHR's fourth HR and coronavirus survey are preparing for the return to work.

About this category

Commentary and insights: HR and legal information and guidance relating to workplace management during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.