Feature Articles

FAQs on furlough and the Government’s Job Retention Scheme which aims to provide employers an alternative to redundancies.

As the number of cases in the UK and abroad continue to rise, the situation is quickly evolving. There are a number of risks posed by the virus that employers will need to be aware of, and it is important to remember that employers have a duty of care towards their employees and should take reasonable steps to protect the health and safety of their workforce. This information is being continually checked and updated.

There is no mention of the latest round of talks with the European Union among the three main stories for May on the Department for International Trade (DIT) website, and this is perhaps not surprising as press reports have indicated that little or no progress has been made. Paul Clarke examines the reasons for this and summarises the steps that the UK and the EU have taken.

Everyone involved in exporting knows about the barriers to trade such as tariffs, quotas and product standards and it’s a given that, when we sell to another country, we need to understand the legal regime. However, cultural requirements can be just as important but are often much more difficult to define. In this article, Tim Hiscock discusses the cultural rules and how they are mostly generalities about how people in a particular country behave. Not everyone conforms, and in any case, the customs change over time, sometimes quite rapidly.

As businesses look to re-open following lockdown, the UK Government has published a set of guidance documents to assist a range of workplaces with advice on establishing safe operations. Gordon Tranter considers the advice given to people who work in or run factories, plants and warehouses.

The coronavirus is a new hazard that will require the implementation of new risk control measures. Mike Sopp advises on how to assess and control the risks of a return to the workplace.

John Davison explains the Government COVID-19 assistance available to businesses announced to date. It is expected that further measures will be revealed and some detail of the assistance is not yet available. The situation is further complicated as there are different assistance packages for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, mainly effecting rates relief and grants.

As Britain begins the return to work process, the Government has published a suite of guidance to help employers, workers and the self-employed work safely during the coronavirus pandemic. Vicky Powell looks at some of the key points for working safely in offices, contact centres and similar working spaces.

As workplaces start to reopen in England following the coronavirus lockdown, it is highly likely that staff are going to be nervous when returning to work, with some even refusing to do so. Ben McCarthy, lead researcher and employment law writer at Croner-i, explores what employers should consider in this situation.

With the coronavirus situation escalating, many employers in a position to stay open may be wondering how they should manage annual leave requests. Ben McCarthy, lead researcher and employment law writer at Croner-i, examines this in more detail below.