Coronavirus: What do I do as an employer?

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is raising a lot of questions for confused employers. How do I reduce risk to my employees? What if someone isn’t ill but has self-isolated, does sick pay apply? What if my employees don’t want to come to work at all?

With daily reports of how coronavirus is spreading across more and more of the world, panic and confusion is starting to affect how people are going about their daily lives – including whether or not to come to work.

As an employer, there are a few things you can do to keep your employees calm and clear on things like how to reduce risk, options to work remotely, sick pay and unpaid leave.

The current risk level is moderate – you should keep your employees up to date on the status of coronavirus as time moves on. It’s best to continue encouraging staff to be extra-vigilant when it comes to washing their hands, keeping desks clean, disposing of tissues correctly etc.

If you have the space and capacity, it might be worth designating one room as an “isolation area” – to be used as a separate place where unwell employees can sit away from the rest of the company and call ‘111’ before taking any further action.

If you have an employee who isn’t sick, but is in quarantine or has self-isolated, as an employer you’re not legally bound to pay sick pay – but it would be good practice to offer it. Showing your support for employees in times of crisis not only strengthens relationships and promotes a sense of goodwill, it also puts minds at ease.

It can also prevent people from unnecessarily coming into work and potentially spreading the virus to the rest of your employees.

What if your employees point blank don’t want to come to work at all? Some people might be so concerned about catching coronavirus they’re unwilling to come into the workplace. In this case, the best practice is to always listen carefully to employees, and if possible, offer them the option to work from home.

Employees can request time off, either unpaid or as holiday days, but there’s no obligation on you as an employer to agree to this.

You are entitled to take disciplinary action if your employees refuse to come to work, but in the current circumstances dismissal and other disciplinary action aren’t within the range of reasonable responses – but this may change as time passes.

Although this is a tricky situation and unclear in many respects, the best course of action employers can take is to keep an open mind, maintain regular contact with employees, and follow government updates.

The UK government is releasing regular updates at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

The information and opinions contained in this blog are for information only. They are not intended to constitute advice and should not be relied upon or considered as a replacement for advice. Before acting on any of the information contained in this blog, please seek specific advice from Gilson Gray.