Things are moving very quickly and there is a lot of advice and support out there for business owners. We’re getting an increasing number of enquiries everyday about the Government support for businesses, in particular the 80% of pay situation (Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme) and how it all works.

In addition to this, many employers are having to adapt how they work in order to reduce the spread of the virus, whilst aiming to continue their operation as normally as possible. This could mean introducing temporary changes to your usual people policies and procedures.

The benefits of introducing temporary changes to your policies are many, but the main advantage is that you’ll be prepared, your staff will know exactly what’s happening and you will have all the answers ready for your staff about the knock-on impact.

If you’re affected by a downturn in work, putting in place temporary measures can help you avoid the need for redundancies, such as introducing a temporary reduction in working hours, pay or reducing certain contractual benefits.

Whatever you need to do, it will help the understanding of your employees if you make some temporary policy changes to give some answers to the ‘what happens to… ‘ questions, and, of course, you must consult with your staff to obtain their agreement, in the absence of any relevant contractual flexibility clauses or short-term working clauses.

On the other hand, your business could be faced with a significant increase in workload and the need to ask your staff to work more hours during the outbreak. You would need to consider what measures you can put in place to support your staff and look at your existing contractual overtime provisions and any temporary changes that would be needed.

This is a fast-moving issue with new details emerging almost every day and it’s a lot for any business owner to deal with.

If you want to discuss the options of making temporary changes to your usual policies and procedures on redundancy, sickness absence, flexible working, travel and annual leave during this global crisis, get in touch. We can help you keep your business above water and limit the damage that could occur.

Click here for business support guidelines from the Government.