HR Articles

The UK Government has made it clear that the way out of the COVID-19 pandemic is through vaccinations. As of the date of this article, 2/3 of the UK population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

From the 19th July, the Government has decided that all legal restrictions, which have  underpinned England’s public health response to the Covid-19 pandemic, will lapse. 

Over the course of the last couple of months, more organisations have decided that there will be no return to the pre-covid, place-based working environment. Some of these have declared for full remote working, but the majority appear to be considering a hybrid work environment, combining remote and place-based work in a number of different ways.

Many employers are currently grappling with how to implement hybrid-working. How does the duty to make reasonable adjustments fit into this new landscape? 

Staff at dating App giant Bumble have been offered paid time off to tackle collective burnout in the organisation. This follows a similar move by LinkedIn who also offered its employees a week off in April this year, following a survey which revealed burnout amongst staff.

As of next month, the furlough scheme which at its peak in May 2020 supported 8.9 million employments, will be winding down.

For over 20 years, Clarkslegal has been an integral part of the UK delegation to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations agency which sets international labour standards and monitors compliance with them.

Scottish brewer and pub-chain BrewDog has received a scathing open letter from former employees alleging there was a toxic work culture at the company, where staff were fearful of speaking out about concerns. The open letter from former staff members complained of a culture which gave weight to sexist and misogynistic brewers, of having genuine safety concerns and being pressured into working beyond their capacity, of fearing their mistakes could get them fired and of those in positions of power feeling enabled to act in a toxic manner.  

The past year has seen a significant increase in the amount of homeworking taking place. Before the pandemic, around 5% of those in employment worked from home, whereas during the pandemic this number increased to around 43% of workers.  

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that in July 2020, 86% of individual’s working remotely, were doing so due to COVID-19. With businesses now welcoming staff back to the office, it is a prudent time to reflect on some positive working practices adopted in the last 15 months that can continue to benefit your business moving forward.