Feature Articles

The risks from Covid-19 are still very much present in the workplace 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.

On 22 September 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that office workers should once again be able to work from home if they can in England – this default position had remained the same in Scotland and Wales. Generally, priority for employers in England is now likely to be implementing homeworking again. For more information, please refer to our article on these developments.

Net zero is an organisational aim for many, but what does it mean and what do companies need to think about when starting their net zero journey? Laura King outlines some practical considerations.

As discarded face masks and litter from beach barbeques make its way into the English Channel, we seem to be making little progress in tackling the menace of ocean plastics. Caroline Hand explores plans to eliminate the problem.

While many have decided that remote working is the future, a number of organisations are finding the disadvantages increasingly apparent. Jon Herbert investigates whether these drawbacks are simply the result of bad practice.

Caroline Raine discusses the future of diisocyanates and the need for training before the use of diisocyanates in the workplace.

The Government has announced it will replicate almost all of the EU’s Circular Economy Package (CEP), aligning the UK’s resources and waste management policies with those of our European neighbours. In this article, John Barwise considers the economic benefits of a circular economy and the wider implications for businesses following the post-Brexit transition period.

The experience of black, Asian and minority ethnic people in the workplace is distinct in many ways. Racial abuse from customers, race-based bullying and harassment along with subtle and overt workplace discrimination can all come together to create a powerful and toxic cocktail which can have damaging ill-health effects on workers — as well as negatively impacting the organisation. Vicky Powell looks at the latest advice on creating a healthier working environment for black and other minority ethnic workers.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been in place since March 2020 in order to assist employers who could not maintain their workforce because their operations have been affected by coronavirus. The mechanics of furloughing employees under the scheme until 10 June 2020 are covered in our separate FAQs “Furlough and the Job Retention Scheme”. These FAQs deal with the mechanics of flexible furlough which is in place from 1 July 2020.

FAQs on furlough and the Government’s Job Retention Scheme which aims to provide employers with an alternative to redundancies. This information is being continually checked and updated where necessary where Government guidance changes.