Feature Articles

On 6 January 2022, the Government passed legislation to officially mandate Covid vaccines for some workers in health and social care settings in England. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2022 come into force on 1 April 2022. This followed existing requirements for those entering a CQC-regulated care home in England to work to be fully vaccinated against Covid, unless an exemption applied.

There are three key measures under the Government’s current Plan B restrictions:

As of 19 January 2022, the UK Government Plan B requirement for working from home where possible was lifted. Many employers acted quickly in getting staff back into the office, with increased traffic and rail service use seen in the immediate days after. But is this the start of a return to pre-pandemic ways of working, when only around 5% of the UK workforce worked mainly from home and 65% of employers did not even offer this as an option, or will the lessons taken from the pandemic continue and flexibility become the norm?

One of the predictions for 2022 was that personalised learning experiences would become more frequent. The key to providing personalised learning experiences lies in using adaptive learning and, in particular, adaptive learning technologies. In the first of two articles, Judith Christian-Carter takes a look at adaptive learning, focusing on what it is and when it can be used to most benefit.

The Government has announced its plans to introduce new legislation requiring those deployed in frontline roles in the health and wider social care sector in England to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. This follows the same requirement already in place for care home workers in England and the responses of a public consultation into the matter. Despite the majority of respondents being opposed to such mandates, the Government decided that vaccination is the best way to protect vulnerable people receiving care in the sector and those providing it.

To commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, there will be changes to bank holidays in 2022. The late May Bank Holiday which would have fallen on Monday 30 May 2022 will be moved to Thursday 2 June 2022 and there will be an additional Bank Holiday on Friday 3 June 2022. The adjustment will take effect in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Employers across the country are experiencing difficulties with staffing levels due to self-isolation absences. As such, many are having to take steps to mitigate the impact this is having on their business and its performance, including introducing measures to discourage the absences in the first place.

Senior researcher and employment law writer at Croner-i, Ben McCarthy, explores the Government’s latest schemes.

Predicting the future is never easy and, in a world that changes constantly, it has become extremely difficult to predict what is just around the corner. 2021 was a very tough year for most people and for those working in learning and development (L&D) last year was no exception. Here, Judith Christian-Carter takes a look at what some influential L&D professionals predict for 2022, including their hopes and dreams, and how L&D can prepare to make the year a successful one.

Mike Sopp advises on the practicalities of investigating and managing an outbreak of Covid-19 in the workplace.