Coronavirus: resource round-up
NOTE: This round-up contains information on our resources to help HR respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that we published up to 31 March 2021. For recent resources, visit our dedicated coronavirus topic page and sign up to our daily email alert, ensuring you select the "Coronavirus" topics.
2021 lockdown
- What should an employer do if an employee who is shielding because they are clinically extremely vulnerable from coronavirus cannot work from home?
- Do employers have a duty to take special measures to protect those employees who are most at risk if they are exposed to coronavirus?
- Employees who are vulnerable from coronavirus
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to clinically extremely vulnerable employee who has been advised to shield
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to move clinically extremely vulnerable employee to alternative work
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Document confirming need for work-related travel
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter putting employee on full furlough
- Homeworking: Helping employees to balance work and caring commitments
- How should employers respond if employees are affected by school closures to prevent the spread of coronavirus?
- Employees with childcare responsibilities
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to school confirming critical worker status
- Coronavirus: Letter outlining flexibility for employees with caring responsibilities who are working from home
See also Vaccinations and testing for staff
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
- Budget 2021: Furlough extension, business cash grants and more (News)
- How will the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme operate in the extended period until 30 September 2021?
- Extended furlough scheme - the issues that HR need to know about
- Furlough extension: practical implications for HR
- Webinar: Extended furlough and other workforce protection measures
- When will the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme close?
- What is the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme?
- What are the deadlines for claims under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme?
- What information will the Government make public about employers that claim under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme?
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
- How to furlough employees under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
- What is flexible furlough?
- Does an employer need to obtain an employee's written agreement to be furloughed?
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and variation of contract
- Top 10 COVID-related claims employers could face in 2021
Which employees can be furloughed
- Which employees can be furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme?
- Do employees have a right to be furloughed?
- Can an employer place an employee on furlough leave if they are off sick?
- Can an employee be furloughed if they are on maternity leave, or other family-related leave?
- Can agency workers be placed on furlough?
- Can apprentices be furloughed?
- Can an employer place an employee on furlough if they need to stay at home to look after their children?
- Can an employer rotate which employees are furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme?
Letters to employees
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter putting employee on full furlough
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter putting employee on flexible furlough
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter providing reminder to sign and return written agreement to be fully furloughed
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter providing reminder to sign and return written agreement to flexible furlough
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter confirming employee's full furlough
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter confirming employee's flexible furlough
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter to keep in touch with furloughed employee
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter informing employee at risk of redundancy that their job is safe for now
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter turning down employee's request to be furloughed
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to clinically extremely vulnerable employee who has been advised to shield
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Letter offering to extend furloughed employee's fixed-term contract
- Coronavirus and annual leave: Letter responding to employee's request to take holiday during furlough
Pay during furlough
- Does an employer that uses the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme to pay 80% of furloughed employees' wages have to make up the difference so they are paid in full?
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and pay
- Do employers have to pay national insurance contributions for furloughed employees?
- Do employers have to pay pension contributions for furloughed employees?
- Can an employer pay a furloughed employee 80% of their wages if this is below the national minimum wage rate?
- How should an employer calculate pay for an employee who is furloughed on return from maternity leave or other family-related leave?
Redundancy and furlough leave
- How to carry out redundancies when employees have been furloughed
- Does placing employees on furlough prevent the employer from making them redundant?
- How to consult collectively with a remote workforce during the coronavirus pandemic
Annual leave during furlough
- Annual leave and furlough under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
- Can an employee take annual leave while on furlough?
- Coronavirus and annual leave: Letter requiring furloughed employee to take holiday
- Coronavirus and annual leave: Letter responding to employee's request to take holiday during furlough
- How should employers deal with bank holidays that fall within a period of furlough?
- Does annual leave accrue during a period of lay-off or furlough?
Pension contributions under furlough
Work during furlough
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: What amounts to work?
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: When is a furloughed employee "working"?
- Employees cannot undertake work for their employer while they are on furlough, but what constitutes work?
- Can a furloughed employee start working for another organisation?
- If an employee has more than one job, can they be furloughed in one and continue to work in the other?
Preparing for the end of furlough
- When will the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme close?
- Coronavirus: Collective redundancy consultation and the special circumstances defence
- How to consult collectively with a remote workforce during the coronavirus pandemic
Coronavirus - as restrictions continue
Vaccinations and testing for staff
- Government expands access to workplace COVID-19 rapid tests
- Podcast: The coronavirus vaccination and your workforce
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter encouraging employees to be vaccinated
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Policy on employees being vaccinated
- Can an employer require employees to have a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination?
- Covid-19: Should employers grant time off for vaccinations?
- Ethical dilemma: Can employers insist on COVID-19 vaccinations?
- Can an employer require employees to be tested for coronavirus (COVID-19)?
- Coronavirus tests (income tax and national insurance contribution charges)
Workplace management
- Workforce planning and business confidence survey 2021
- Podcast: HR, the pandemic and the future of the workplace
- Government expands access to workplace COVID-19 rapid tests
- Top 10 COVID-related claims employers could face in 2021
- New tier system: What will it mean for employers?
- Communication during the coronavirus pandemic
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter reminding workers not to attend work if required to self-isolate
- Does an employer commit an offence if a worker who is required to self-isolate attends work?
- Employers face £10k fine for failing to enforce self-isolation
- What are the implications of the test and trace service for employers?
- Can an employer require employees to be tested for coronavirus (COVID-19)?
- Can an employer inform its staff if a colleague has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19)?
- Coronavirus and your workforce webinar: Starting the return-to-work journey - considerations and challenges
- Return to work: Employers' questions answered
- Returning to work: Eight challenges identified by HR professionals
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Welcome letter to workers in advance of their return to work
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter seeking employee's agreement to change their start and finish times
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to employee who refuses, or is reluctant, to return to work
- How to manage returning to work during the coronavirus pandemic
- What should the employer do if an employee is reluctant to return to work when the coronavirus restrictions are lifted?
- Ten issues for HR to consider when the coronavirus lockdown ends
Change of workplace
- Coronavirus and future of work: Letter to employee confirming move to hybrid working
- A return to working from home - five things for HR to consider
- Lifting the lockdown: Permanent homeworking arrangements
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter notifying employees that they should continue to work from home
- Coronavirus and future of work: Letter inviting employee to meeting to discuss change of place of work because of workplace closure
- Coronavirus and future of work: Letter to employee confirming change of place of work because of workplace closure
- Coronavirus and future of work: Letter inviting employee to meeting to discuss permanent homeworking arrangement because of workplace closure
- Coronavirus and future of work: Letter to employee confirming permanent homeworking arrangement because of workplace closure
Safe working
- General health and safety duties: Employers' health and safety duties and coronavirus (COVID-19)
- General health and safety duties: Self-isolating workers
- Coronavirus: Policy on safe working during COVID-19 pandemic
- Hazard identification and risk management: Risk assessment and coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Coronavirus and workplace health and safety
- What process should employers follow to control coronavirus risks in the workplace?
- Navigating health and safety obligations during the coronavirus pandemic
- What should an employer do if an employee does not comply with social distancing or hygiene measures at work?
- Is it 'associative discrimination' to ask staff living with shielded persons to return to work?
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Questionnaire for visitors to employer's premises
- Coronavirus: COVID-19 workplace risk assessment
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to arrange discussion with pregnant employee about safe working
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter setting out adjustments for pregnant employee to work safely
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to move pregnant employee to suitable alternative work
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter suspending pregnant employee on health and safety grounds
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: Meeting health and safety duties as lockdown is lifted
Clinically vulnerable employees
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to clinically extremely vulnerable employee who has been advised to shield
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to move clinically extremely vulnerable employee to alternative work
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter setting out adjustments for clinically extremely vulnerable employee to work safely
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to arrange discussion with clinically extremely vulnerable employee about safe working
- What obligations does an employer have to an employee who lives with someone who is at very high risk of serious illness from coronavirus?
- Do employers have a duty to take special measures to protect those employees who are most at risk if they are exposed to coronavirus?
- Statutory sick pay and coronavirus (COVID-19)
Workforce changes
Redundancy
- Podcast: Managing the end of a redundancy process
- Webinar: Redundancy - legal and practical complexities
- Individual redundancies: Redundancies flowing from the coronavirus pandemic
- Collective redundancies: Redundancies flowing from the coronavirus pandemic
- How to consider alternatives to redundancy during the coronavirus crisis
- Managing your workforce out of lockdown webinar: Collective redundancy consultation - the process and pitfalls
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: Consulting collectively with a remote workforce
- How to consult collectively with a remote workforce during the coronavirus pandemic
- Coronavirus: Collective redundancy consultation and the special circumstances defence
- Collective redundancy consultation: Coronavirus and the special circumstances defence
- Can an employee claim a statutory redundancy payment if they have been furloughed for four or more weeks?
- Coronavirus and your workforce webinar: Week 7 of lockdown - your compliance questions answered
- Covid-19 and recession: Is redundancy the only option?
- Redundancy
Lay-offs and short-time working
- Lay-off and short-time working
- What is the difference between a lay-off and a redundancy?
- Contract clause on lay off and short-time working
- Letter inviting employees to a meeting to set out lay-off plans (in exercise of a contractual right to lay off)
- Letter imposing a lay-off (in exercise of a contractual right to lay off)
- Letter inviting an employee to a meeting to discuss lay-off proposal (no contractual right to lay off - express consent necessary)
- Letter seeking an employee's agreement to a lay-off (no contractual right to lay off - express consent necessary)
- Letter informing an employee who has been laid off that they can return to normal working
- Letter inviting employees to a meeting to set out short-time working plans (in exercise of a contractual right to place on short-time working)
- Letter imposing short-time working (in exercise of a contractual right to place on short-time working)
- Letter inviting an employee to a meeting to discuss short-time working proposal (no contractual right to place on short-time working - express consent necessary)
- Letter seeking an employee's agreement to short-time working (no contractual right to place on short time working - express consent necessary)
- Letter informing an employee who has been placed on short-time working that they can return to normal working
Contract changes
- Managing your workforce out of lockdown webinar: Varying employment contracts - what you need to know
- Liveflo: Change an employee's terms and conditions
- Variation of contracts
- During the coronavirus outbreak, can an employer require its employees to take on different roles to cover absence?
- Letter informing an employee of a pay freeze
- Letter seeking agreement to reduce an employee's pay to avoid redundancies
- Temporary increased working hours policy
- Temporary reduced working hours policy
Job offers
Probationary periods
Homeworking
- Is remote working here to stay?
- Working remotely from abroad: What employers need to know
- How Orbit Group introduced a "post-pandemic" homeworking programme for 850 employees
- Managing homeworkers during the coronavirus pandemic
- A fifth of disabled workers had work from home requests turned down during pandemic
- Working from home: Do staff have suitable equipment?
- Working from home: How HR can deal with the daily dilemmas
- Giving feedback to remote workers
- Communication during the coronavirus pandemic
- Lifting the lockdown: Permanent homeworking arrangements
- Coronavirus and future of work: Letter inviting employee to meeting to discuss permanent homeworking arrangement because of workplace closure
- Coronavirus and future of work: Letter to employee confirming permanent homeworking arrangement because of workplace closure
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter notifying employees that they should continue to work from home
- Coronavirus: Letter outlining flexibility for employees with caring responsibilities who are working from home
- Temporary homeworking policy during coronavirus pandemic
- Form to record health and safety discussion with homeworker during coronavirus pandemic
Absence from work
Attendance at work
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Potential absence and attendance scenarios and how to deal with them
- What obligations does an employer have to an employee who lives with someone who is at very high risk of serious illness from coronavirus?
- What should the employer do if an employee is reluctant to return to work when the coronavirus restrictions are lifted?
- Can an employer instruct an employee who may be at risk of having contracted coronavirus not to come to work?
- Should a policy triggering disciplinary action after a certain amount of absence be suspended for employees with coronavirus symptoms?
Annual leave
- Coronavirus and annual leave: Letter responding to employee's request to take annual leave where self-isolation would be required on their return to the UK
- How should an employer deal with annual leave requests where the employee would be required to quarantine after travelling abroad?
- Line manager briefing on annual leave
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: Managing annual leave
- When can annual leave be carried over due to the coronavirus crisis?
- Can an employer require employees to use their annual leave during the coronavirus outbreak?
- Coronavirus and annual leave: Letter outlining your approach to holiday for employees working from home
- Coronavirus and annual leave: Letter outlining your approach to holiday for employees who are attending work
- Coronavirus and annual leave: Letter responding to employee's request to take holiday during furlough
- Coronavirus and carrying forward leave
- Can unused statutory annual holiday be carried forward to the next holiday year?
- Can an employee cancel a period of annual leave if they are unable to go on holiday due to the coronavirus outbreak?
- Can an employer require employees to use their annual leave during the coronavirus outbreak?
- Letter responding to employee who has asked to cancel/change their holiday
- Form for employee to request holiday carry-over
- Letter declining holiday request
Time off for dependents
- Time off for dependants policy
- How should employers respond if employees are affected by school closures to prevent the spread of coronavirus?
- Can an employer place an employee on furlough if they need to stay at home to look after their children?
Sick pay
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter reminding workers not to attend work if required to self-isolate
- What are the implications of the test and trace service for employers?
- Statutory sick pay rebate scheme launched (News)
- If an employee is advised to self-isolate to avoid the risk of spreading coronavirus, are they entitled to sick pay?
- Statutory sick pay and coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Recovery of statutory sick pay and coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Future developments on statutory sick pay and coronavirus (COVID-19)
- What medical evidence can an employer request from employees who are absent with coronavirus symptoms, when government advice is not to attend a GP?
- How should an employer calculate statutory maternity pay (SMP) for an employee who is on furlough leave or in receipt of sick pay during the SMP calculation period?
Wellbeing, mental health and health and safety
Wellbeing
- Five ways to prevent staff burnout during lockdown
- Lockdown sees employees working harder than normal
- Coronavirus: Ensuring the wellbeing of those still at work
- Coronavirus: How HR is promoting health and wellbeing
- Coronavirus: Physical fitness and the return to work
- Coronavirus: How HR can help after the death of an employee
- How to support a bereaved employee
Mental health
- Podcast: How to encourage mental health wellbeing among employees
- Coronavirus and your workforce webinar: Supporting employees' mental health
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: How HR is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic
- Mental health support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter highlighting how homeworking employees can look after their mental health
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter highlighting how employees attending work can look after their mental health
- Letter to employees highlighting role of mental health first-aiders
- Neurodiversity: The impact of lockdown and social isolation
Health and safety
- Podcast: HR, the pandemic and the future of the workplace
- How to identify and manage health and safety risks
- Coronavirus and workplace health and safety
- Employers should publish COVID-19 risk assessments (News)
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to arrange discussion with pregnant employee about safe working
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter setting out adjustments for pregnant employee to work safely
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to move pregnant employee to suitable alternative work
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter suspending pregnant employee on health and safety grounds
- Form to record health and safety discussion with homeworker during coronavirus pandemic
- Do employers have a duty to take special measures to protect those employees who are most at risk if they are exposed to coronavirus?
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter to clinically extremely vulnerable employee who has been advised to shield
- What obligations does an employer have to pregnant employees during the coronavirus crisis?
- Pregnancy and maternity discrimination: Pregnancy and maternity during coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
- Employers' health and safety duties and coronavirus (COVID-19) (including civil liability risk)
- Risk assessment and coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Policy on supporting staff experiencing domestic violence
- Coronavirus: Letter outlining flexibility for employees with caring responsibilities who are working from home
- Is there any duty on employers to close their workplace if a risk of contact with coronavirus is identified?
- Letter providing guidance for staff on controlling infectious diseases at work
- Infectious diseases in the workplace policy
Strategic HR
HR roles during the outbreak
- Building HR resilience during the coronavirus
- Podcast: Building HR resilience
- Crisis then calm: How coronavirus is affecting the job of HR
- People analytics and HR lead the way through the coronavirus pandemic
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: How HR is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic
Workforce planning
- Workforce planning and business confidence survey 2021
- Workforce planning during coronavirus: Strategies for planning in flexibility
- Workforce planning in the time of coronavirus (Workforce planning guide)
- Does the latest Covid-19 immigration policy generate more questions?
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: Complying with UK immigration requirements during COVID-19
- Immigration permission expiry and coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Chancellor launches Restart scheme to help jobless (News)
Pay awards
- Managing your workforce out of lockdown webinar: Pay and economy trends
- Gender pay gap reporting and the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Pay trends April 2020: First signs of coronavirus affecting pay awards
- Letter awarding staff bonus during coronavirus pandemic
Employee engagement
- Communication during the coronavirus pandemic
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: Engaging with employees
- Coronavirus: Employee engagement check-in survey
- Coronavirus and your workforce webinar: Employee engagement and employer responsibilities
- Keeping a global workforce engaged in times of crisis
- Five ways to keep employees engaged during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Recruitment challenges during the pandemic
Support for employees
- Non-furloughed: What about the employees left behind?
- Policy setting out employee assistance programme
- Coronavirus: Watchdog warns against DB to DC pension transfers (News)
Managing employees
- Podcast: Whistleblowing during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Managing your workforce out of lockdown webinar: Avoiding discrimination claims
- Communication during the coronavirus pandemic
- Grievance procedures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- Disciplinary procedures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- Misconduct: Remote disciplinary procedures
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: Managing disciplinary, grievance and performance processes remotely
- Coronavirus lockdown: How can HR manage ongoing disciplinary issues?
- Acas publishes coronavirus disciplinary and grievance guidance (News)
- Investigations and Covid-19: employers need a pandemic-proof toolkit
HR pulse survey reports
Sixth pulse survey
- HR and coronavirus survey: Two steps forward, one step back
- Benchmarking: Coronavirus and HR - Sixth XpertHR pulse survey
- Coronavirus: The HR challenges continue
Fifth pulse survey
- HR and coronavirus survey: Recovery or redundancy?
- Benchmarking: Coronavirus and HR - Fifth XpertHR pulse survey
- Coronavirus: Promoting employee engagement as the lockdown is lifted
Fourth pulse survey
- HR and coronavirus survey: The return to work begins
- Benchmarking: Coronavirus and HR - Fourth XpertHR pulse survey
- Returning to work: Eight challenges identified by HR professionals
Third pulse survey
- HR and coronavirus survey: six weeks into lockdown
- Benchmarking: Coronavirus and HR - Third XpertHR pulse survey
- Going beyond "thank you" to recognise staff during the coronavirus pandemic
- Coronavirus and your workforce podcast: How HR is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic
Second pulse survey
- HR and coronavirus survey: Four weeks into lockdown
- Benchmarking: Coronavirus and HR - Second XpertHR pulse survey
- Coronavirus: How HR is promoting health and wellbeing
First pulse survey
- Coronavirus: HR's initial response survey April 2020
- Benchmarking: Coronavirus and HR - HR's initial response
- How HR practitioners are coping in the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
