Coronavirus update - Getting the UK back to work

Throughout the Coronavirus crisis here at Dataplan we have had continuity strategies in place to ensure that our clients experience no interruption in service, and that additional support can be provided where it is needed.

In addition to navigating the challenges of large scale self-isolation and a nationwide lockdown, businesses have had to adapt to changing guidance and legislation from the Government including the extensive aid package known as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) which introduced a new process of furlough leave to the UK.

The next challenge faced by organisations will be the process of returning to work as the UK begins to ease out of lockdown and furlough payments are phased out.

What Dataplan are doing for clients

Following the introduction of the Flexible Furlough Scheme (FFS) on the 1st of July, as outlined in our blog post ‘Getting the UK back to work’, our team of experts have been implementing the scheme for our clients.

The Dataplan team

As has been the case throughout the nationwide lockdown, Dataplan’s teams have been deployed to work safely and securely at home. Continuity and efficiency for our clients is our highest priority, alongside the safety of our staff, which is why our Directors are building a phased plan to bring our teams back into the office as it is safe to do so.

This plan looks to implement strict social distancing measures for our staff and visitors to the site, and in addition will follow a rigorous structure so that there will be no delays or interruptions to our clients as our staff transition from their secure remote set up back to the office.

What you need to know

As we explained in our recent post ‘Flexible Furlough Scheme – practical tips and explanations’ the Government is encouraging the UK to get back to work, and as such the phased reduction of furlough funding begins in August until the scheme ends in October. As we enter the next phase of the Government’s Coronavirus response plan you should be aware of the following.

• From August the Government is encouraging all those who are able to return to work to do so, with some exceptions based on shielding and other risk factors
• Flexible furloughs will need to be agreed as new contractual relationships with your employees
• Full furlough arrangements can continue as long as the employee does not work for you at all
• Only employees who have previously been furloughed are eligible to be flexibly furloughed
• From the 1st of July the calculation basis for furlough funding changes from a calendar day to hourly
• HMRC expect claims to be submitted only when you are sure of the exact hours your employee has worked, so in situations where there is uncertainty over hours it is worth considering how you are able to combat this by accurately forecasting hours
• Issues may arise for employers who have been rotating furloughed workers as HMRC have capped claims at the previous highest number of employees claimed in any one period
• Claims must now be submitted entirely within calendar months and only at one claim per month
• For more information specifically on returning your employees to their usual place of work, visit our blog post ‘The do’s and don’ts of getting furloughed employees back to work’