With the introduction of furlough, and now the Job Support Scheme, employee terms and conditions will be changing. Along with new ways of working, new issues to consider, and the introduction of the Good Work Plan in April, now is the time to review your HR policies and documentation.
Here are some of the policies you will need to produce or review:
Coronavirus Policy
We would recommend that your draft a policy to cover the following issues:
- risk assessments
- social distancing and hygiene rules
- sick Leave arrangements to include pay and self-isolation
- traveling/commuting measures
- working on site
- quarantine rules and procedures
- travel Insurance
- management of a Covid-19 outbreak
- school closures
- local or national lockdown
- annual leave carry over
Risk-assessments
You must ensure your workplace is risk assessed if staff are continuing to operate there. If staff are working from home then you will also need to conduct a risk assessment of their environment and keep these on file. We have a free template for you to use.
Whistleblowing policy
Particularly in current circumstances, it is important to create a policy which allows for staff to report any concerns they have. For example, if an employee sees a colleague behaving in a way they deem to be unacceptable with regard to social distancing measures – do you have a process in place to deal with this? A whistle blowing policy should always state that the employee speaks with you, as the employer, in the first instance. However, they do have a legal right to then inform the Health & Safety Executive if they have any concerns.
GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018 policy
With your workforce working remotely across different sites and networks, it’s important to remind them of GDPR. You will need to ensure that they are aware of data security; keeping personal details safe. Read our GDPR blog for more guidance.
Social media policy
Now is the time to update your social media policy, which ties in with whistleblowing above. During this sensitive time, staff need to be aware of what they are sharing on social media and the impact it could have on fellow employees and the wider business. For example, blatantly flouting rules which puts themselves, colleagues and your business reputation at risk. Read our post on what to include in a social media policy.
We can help update all of the policies above, or talk you through the ones you should consider. Get in touch for an informal chat.