This blog was last updated on 25 January 2021.
Boris Johnson advised that all schools are to be closed again due to the second strain of the coronavirus. This is a decision which will affect the whole of society, including employers and employees. This is because parents will now have to make new arrangements for their childcare. This is especially the case because, in emergency circumstances like these, childcare would usually fall on grandparents to allow the parents to continue working, however, Boris Johnson also advised against parents leaving their child in the care of grandparents or other vulnerable people as they are in the most at-risk category.
However, key workers are continuing to be supported at schools the full list of critical workers can be found here.
Schools are also expected to make plans to facilitate this and care for the most vulnerable children. All other children who do not fall within this category will have to stay at home with alternative care.
This means that for the majority of employees who are not key workers they will be frantically looking for a solution.
For parents, especially those who cannot work from home due to the nature of their role, this can be a big worry as they may feel their employers will still expect them to work as normal and potentially if they don’t they may be at risk of losing their job.
In the first instance, employers should communicate with employees who are parents and explain the options and expectations.
We take the view that communication is key in these difficult times and the Bank of England boss has advised that people should resist firing their employees and should first “stop, look at what’s available, come and talk to us [or] the government before you take that position”. Here, we agree wholeheartedly. Although every business’ situation is different, there is financial support from the Government available, the purpose of which is to reduce the number of dismissals and redundancies.
It has been announced that working parents can request to be put on furlough whilst the schools are closed to allow them to care for their children. Employers are not obliged to furlough parents however, the Trades Union Congress said that ’employers should do the right thing and furlough mums and dads’.
Should an employer not allow furlough leave or is unable to allow it due to them being too busy, the below are some alternative options that are available;
Work from home
Employers should consider allowing parents to work from home where possible and potentially allow more flexible hours within the remit of working from home, to acknowledge that the parents will now have childcare requirements. If hours are flexible, this will help if the employee can only arrange childcare for a certain period of the day/week or can shift childcare with another parent. This should allow parents to continue to work and also care for their children.
Amendments to working time
Employees may be willing to agree on short-term changes to their shift patterns or working hours/days to facilitate childcare. Employers should suggest such changes verbally at first, and then follow up with a letter which makes the new hours, salary, and holiday entitlement clear to that employee.
Leave arrangements
An employer should consider asking an employee whether they are willing to take some of the next few weeks as annual leave. This can be mandated by employers if they have the requisite clauses in their contract, but employers should bear staff morale in mind if they are requesting that parents use up all their annual leave at this difficult time.
Dependents leave
Dependent’s leave is a right an employee has to take a reasonable amount of time off. However, dependent’s leave is unpaid time off and only usually lasts for a day or two.
An employer cannot refuse an employee dependent’s leave if they have no other option meaning they cannot be disciplined or fired for taking the time off but an employee must tell their employer as soon as possible their need for dependent’s leave, the reason for this and how long they expect to need this for.
Because it’s usual to only use dependent’s leave for one or two days, and given that there is currently no date being given for when schools are set to reopen, we take the view that dependents leave could be used in the immediate, to make arrangements, but that more long-term arrangements should be made with those employees as soon as possible.
Parental leave
An employee has to right to request parental leave. However, again this is unpaid. Parental leave is only limited to 18 weeks and usually, this should be taken in weeks Whilst an employee takes parental leave their employment rights will remain protected, including their annual leave entitlement and right to return to work.
To be entitled to parental leave, an employee must:
- Have worked for the business for more than a year
- Have parental responsibility for the child (defined under the Children Act 1989) and
- Be named on the child’s birth certificate or have obtained formal legal parental responsibilities.
This is a difficult time for everyone, and the ongoing uncertainty about when things will either end or escalate is putting everyone under strain whilst they try and make arrangements. Our advice is that employers are as flexible as possible with parents and try to make it possible for them to continue to earn (either by changing their hours or by working from home) whilst they care for their children.
Our coronavirus free helpline is open for any enquires please email coronavirus@thrivelaw.co.uk
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Using Thrives HR services makes your life easier; we provide you with quick and most importantly, correct HR decisions so your staff management is stress-free and sufficient. We take care of everything. From drafting contracts and handbooks tailored to your business to advising and supporting you through redundancies. There is no limit to our knowledge, if you have an HR question, our qualified solicitors have the answer for you. We are always one phone call away.
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Disclaimer
Please note this blog is for reference purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific legal advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking or deciding not to take any action. Please contact us if you have any questions on enquires@thrivelaw.co.uk
