Happy New Year, we hope you, your family and all your staff enjoyed the all but brief break from work over the Christmas period, we move into 2021 with a glimmer of light in the form of the vaccine and yet more challenges to manage through lockdown 3.
Here are the immediate guidance and actions you need to be aware of as we enter lockdown 3. Remember we are here to listen, support, advise and agree on what actions are required and help implement those actions and solutions to benefit you and your business at this time, you are never alone with Park City’s team at your side and we are all stronger together.
It feels like we are all on the verge of a new beginning, we can all work together to ensure we enjoy that new beginning, with the lessons learnt over the last ten months, the pathway is well-trodden to survive lockdown 3 and beyond.
Here is the new Stay at Home guidance note released yesterday. Please ensure your read this and understand the implications for your business, your lead HR and H&S team will be supporting you closely and are available at any time to suit you.
Here are the sections on Businesses that must close and those that are permitted to open.
CAUTION: Ignore the blue links to the expanded details, as the Government is yet to update this, it’s Dated December 20th and relates to Tier alerts and not the new Lockdown.
The list below can be used as this is from the new guidance note released yesterday.
Businesses and venues
Businesses and venues which must close:
To reduce social contact, the regulations require some businesses to close and impose restrictions on how some businesses provide goods and services. The full list of businesses required to close can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England but includes:
- non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment) and market stalls selling non-essential goods. These venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services.
- hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and non-alcoholic drinks for takeaway (until 11 pm), click-and-collect and drive-through. All food and drink (including alcohol) can continue to be provided by delivery.
- accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites, except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone’s main residence, where the person cannot return home, for providing accommodation or support to the homeless, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes
- leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, sports courts, fitness and dance studios, riding arenas at riding centres, climbing walls, and golf courses.
- entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft play centres and areas (including inflatable parks and trampolining centres), circuses, fairgrounds, funfairs, water parks and theme parks
- animal attractions (such as zoos, safari parks, aquariums, and wildlife reserves)
- indoor attractions at venues such as botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though the outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open for outdoor exercise.
- personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. These services should not be provided in other people’s homes
- community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities, as set out below. Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services – for example for people who do not have it at home – and for click-and-collect services
Some of these businesses and places will also be permitted to be open for a small number of exempt activities. A full list of exemptions can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England but includes:
- education and training – for schools to use sports, leisure and community facilities where that is part of their normal provision
- childcare purposes and supervised activities for those children eligible to attend
- hosting blood donation sessions and food banks
- to provide medical treatment
- for elite sports persons to train and compete (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), and professional dancers and choreographers to work (in fitness and dance studios)
- for training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)
- for the purposes of film and TV filming
Businesses and venues which can remain open:
Other businesses and venues are permitted to stay open, following COVID-19 secure guidelines. Businesses providing essential goods and services can stay open. The full list of these businesses can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England but includes:
- essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences
- market stalls selling essential retail may also stay open
- businesses providing repair services may also stay open, where they primarily offer repair services
- petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car washes, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses
- banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses
- funeral directors
- laundrettes and dry cleaners
- medical and dental services
- vets and retailers of products and food for the upkeep and welfare of animals
- animal rescue centres, boarding facilities and animal groomers (may continue to be used for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes)
- agricultural supplies shops
- mobility and disability support shops
- storage and distribution facilities
- car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas
- outdoor playgrounds
- outdoor parts of botanical gardens and heritage sites for exercise
- places of worship
- crematoriums and burial grounds
Health and Safety considerations, read below;
If you are permitted to remain open and the staff required are at or in the work premises, (office staff should work from home), then we would recommend you do the following;
- Revisit and review your Covid – 19 Risk Assessment, with particular attention to your shift or work patterns, staff bubbles and the control actions to mitigate the risks of close contact. Now is the time to create team bubbles to reduce the potential for mass isolation as a result of positive cases in your work teams.
- As the new variant is more contagious your cleaning regime needs to be reviewed and potentially increased in frequency.
- Ensure those staff that can work from home do so, office staff and back-office support, sales etc. The Government is clear that employers should do everything possible to facilitate home working.
- Brief your team on the protocols to follow if you have Covid cases in the workforce, note Action cards to follow previously advised by Park City.
If you are closing your business and in effect mothballing your business premises, please consider the following;
- There will be a requirement to visit the office or premises to check heating, security, water etc in order that you don’t invalidate your office insurance, ensure someone has this task and records their visits.
- Ensure your heating, whatever type, is set to Frost Protect or equivalent to avoid freezing pipes.
- Check heating and Water pipes, It’s winter so the potential for burst pipes is increased.
- Facilitate home working, the new lockdown stay-at-home guidance is more specific about employers providing IT and equipment to allow home working.
- Review the use of the Job retention scheme to support or retain your staff, and talk to your lead HR consultant at Park City for advice. See the next section for HR below.
- Communicate to staff the plans for the business premises and keep regular updates.
- Review and agree on arrangements for collecting the mail or post at your business premises.
If your staff are home working:
- Ensure you look after their well-being by implementing regular contact. Ensure Line managers are included in this task so ALL staff are included in the regular contact.
- Provide necessary IT and equipment that allows the staff member to work and perform their agreed tasks.
Please follow this link for the latest information posters to print and display in the workplace;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-lockdown-stay-at-home-posters?
Please contact your lead consultant for advice, however, the basics are detailed above, you can also read What Lockdown 3 Means for Business Owners for additional detail.
HR implications through Lockdown 3. Immediate considerations.
All our lead consultants are available, remember 24 x 7 to provide advice and support, you are never alone.
The Government released additional grant support for businesses that are required to close as a result of Lockdown 3:
£4.6 billion in new lockdown grants to support businesses and protect jobs
Summary:
Businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000, the Chancellor has announced.
Change made:
First published.
Time updated
5 January 2021
Follow this link:
In addition, we would remind business owners and Directors that the Job Retention scheme is still available, extended until April. You can still part Furlough or Flexi Furlough and as a result of this new lockdown you may need to use this to benefit your staff and your business in the short term, contact your lead if you need assistance with this.
Claim for wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Claim for some of your employee’s wages if you have put them on furlough or flexible furlough because of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Published 20 April 2020
Last updated 23 December 2020
Follow this link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
We will continue to review and interpret the revised and new guidance released and advise you all at the appropriate time, our intention is to provide guidance that is business-related and adds value to you and saves you time.
Later this week we will issue some basic considerations for HR and H&S as a result of leaving the EU. SORRY we have that dynamic to manage also, the good news we are here with you, by your side.
Never alone with Park City. Stronger together. Be safe. Be strong
Tim and Juliet Price
