Back to work: Plan B restrictions lifted

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today announced the lifting of Plan B restrictions in England.

Kate Palmer, HR Advice and Consultancy Director at Peninsula, explains what this means for employers.

“With the guidance to work from home having been lifted, employers should start having conversations with their employees now about what this will mean.

“You could ask employees to return to the workplace as early as tomorrow, but it’s important to have conversations with your staff first, making arrangements to prepare the workplace for their safe return.

“Many employers will already have gone through the process of sending staff home then welcoming them back to the workplace – sometimes multiple times. It may be useful to see what worked well on previous occasions and what didn’t. Reflective exercises can ensure effective measures are put in place this time to make the return a success.

“Employers should have open and supportive conversations with any employees who may be hesitant about returning to the office. Reasonable adjustments such as a phased return to full-time office working or offering free/discounted car parking, can go a long way in ensuring employees feel comfortable and supported, especially if they will be commuting via public transport.

“Allowing flexibility at this stage can help minimise absence levels and staff turnover as well as helping maintain motivation, satisfaction, and productivity rates later down the line.

“If an employee is unreasonably refusing to return to the workplace, employers may be able to treat this as a failure to follow reasonable management instructions, and the situation should be managed as a normal conduct issue.

“However, the first course of action should always be to support employees, listen to what is causing them to be hesitant and see if there is a way you can work together to reach a conclusion which is beneficial for all.

“The requirement for mandatory Covid passes will also be removed, which will be a relief for many businesses. This will reduce the pressure on teams who had to have sight of these for all attendees as a legal duty, although they can still choose to ask for Covid passes if they wish. This should be communicated openly with clients and would be a term of entry rather than a legal requirement.

“We anticipate further updates will come next week related to the self-isolation guidance, which is being reduced from Monday 24th January. This will likely be welcome news for employers as it will significantly reduce time spent away from the workplace for those who test positive for Covid, alleviating issues around staff shortages.”

Gavin Scarr Hall, Director of Health & Safety at Peninsula, recommends completing an updated risk assessment to ensure all necessary Covid-secure measures are in place prior to employees returning to the workplace.

He says: “Taking proactive steps will demonstrate to your employees that you are prioritising their safety and may help alleviate any concerns some may have around returning to the office.

“Measures such as one-way systems, hand sanitiser stations, having plastic screens/barriers between desks, regular cleaning, social distancing and mask-wearing are all simple ways to protect employees, even as Plan B restriction expire from next week.

“At Peninsula, we’ve also introduced weekly lateral flow testing for all our people to help ensure peace of mind and know we’re doing all we can to keep them safe.”