HR technology firm Workday is to make a one-off payment to staff to help prevent financial hardship during the coronavirus pandemic.
Announcing the move in a blog post yesterday, Workday said employees will receive a one-off payment equivalent to two weeks’ wages to help accommodate any unforeseen costs. It will also introduce a hardship fund to support staff who need additional support or experience hardships that “go above and beyond”.
Its paid sick leave policy has been expanded to include staff who need to take time off work because they have contracted the covid-19 coronavirus and it has told employees at all global locations to work from home until at least 17 April.
To support employees’ mental health it is giving staff one year’s access to Headspace, a meditation app to help alleviate stress, anxiety and sleep problems, while its backup childcare benefit has been extended from 10 days to 15 days.
It said in a blog post: “At Workday, we have a set of core values that guide us, and our employees – without exception – are number one. We want to support and protect them during this challenging time so they can take good care of themselves, their loved ones, our customers, and communities.
“We feel that by taking care of our employees, we are in turn helping take care of our customers, who are relying on us during this difficult period. These are unprecedented times and we feel it’s important that we do what we can to protect and support our workforce and community.”
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Yesterday afternoon, prime minister Boris Johnson said people should “start working from home where they possibly can” to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Employees having to self-isolate because of the virus are eligible for statutory sick pay from their first day of absence, but commentators including the CIPD have said the current £94.25 rate per week needs to be increased to prevent workers from encountering financial difficulties.
