Employees in England have been advised to work from home from today (13 December) as the government triggers its plan B coronavirus defence.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming” in a televised statement this weekend, urging people to arrange their booster vaccination appointments as soon as possible. The UK’s Covid alert level was raised to four due to the contagious nature of the new variant.
Plan B measures require people in England to work from home “if they can” from today, as well as show an NHS Covid pass or recent negative lateral flow test for entry to some venues.
Under the measures, announced last Thursday, anyone travelling to the UK also has to take a PCR or lateral flow test no more than 48 hours before their departure, and test within 48 hours of arrival in the UK. Anyone with Covid symptoms, or who tests positive, must self-isolate.
Regarding the work from home guidance, Johnson said: “I know this will be hard for many people but by reducing your contacts in the workplace, you will help slow transmission.”
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The rules changed in Scotland on Saturday (11 December) meaning anyone who lives in a household where someone tests positive must self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status or negative test. Scottish employees are also recommended to work from home.
Welsh employers must allow staff to work from home wherever possible and the rules will now be reviewed weekly rather than every three weeks. In Northern Ireland the recommendation is to work from home.
Not all employers are following the guidance in England that staff work from home. Reports have emerged that publishing companies Telegraph Media Group and Future have told staff to continue working in offices, with a memo from Future asking staff to come into the office at least two days a week.
A number of professional services and law firms indicated that they would allow workers to travel to the office if the isolation of working remotely affects their mental health, although there are requirements for masks and negative lateral flow tests.
Tony Russell, chief growth officer at change consultancy Proteus said businesses had been prompted to “grit their teeth” and encourage staff to work from home when the government itself had “barely paid lip service” to the concept themselves.
“Last week’s announcement prompted a mass exodus from the workplace, delivering a body blow to local businesses in the peak pre-Christmas period. But outside the retail and hospitality sectors, at least this time businesses could take comfort that they knew what to expect and how to adapt to home working,” he said.
“The real challenge will come next year, when, if the restrictions remain in place, businesses will have to balance employee’s physical safety and mental wellbeing, especially given the high number of mental health issues in the dark winter months.”
Vicky Walker, HR Director at Westfield Health, said communication was critical in a time of renewed uncertainty.
“If employers are reverting back to full-time remote working for the safety of their employees, then clear communication and engagement are critical, to make this transition easier for them.
“How businesses react to change, especially when things have been constantly altering, is important, to retain talent. Our Emergency Exit research found that 16 million workers are considering changing jobs, which would result in a £48.2 billion cost to employers.”
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There are currently no plans to re-introduce financial support for businesses that are forced to close due to the virus, nor can employers claim back statutory sick pay employers they paid due to Covid-related absence (which was the case up to September 2021).
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