• 05 Jan 2021
• •
• < 1 min read

Employment Alert – School Closures

School Closures

What’s happening?

Another wave of Coronavirus has resulted in the decision that some schools must close their classrooms, with more likely to follow. This means that again, a large population of working parents will need to remain at home to care for their children.

Why is this important?

Where parent employees are required to remain at home to care for their children, the main question employers and employees will be asking is: what pay are they entitled to?

As a reminder, the Government guidance confirms that employers of employees who cannot work due to childcare responsibilities resulting from the effects of Coronavirus will be eligible to claim Furlough Pay under the Furlough Scheme. This is subject to the current Furlough rules including the fact that the employee cannot work from home and claim Furlough pay for the same hours.

What should you do?

Communicate with employees who need to remain at home to care for their children and ideally agree with them the next steps. Points to note are:

1. If you intend to claim under the Furlough Scheme, ensure you have the appropriate agreements in place and you follow the current Furlough Scheme rules.
2. Consider alternatives to the employee ceasing work, for example the employee working from home (if possible), amended shift patterns etc.
3. Use sick pay and/or SSP in appropriate cases where the employee is sick.

If you need more information please contact us on 0800 2800 421 or email [email protected] to find out how we can help.