Managing employees during periods of hot weather

With longer days and higher temperatures, summer is likely an exciting time for both you and your employees. That said, you need to be ready for the issues the hot weather can cause in the workplace.

Summer Issues for Employers & How to Deal with Them

1. Keep everyone cool!

Whilst the law does not say how hot or cold your workplace should be, temperatures need to be ‘reasonable’.

Keep staff cool by allowing them to switch on fans and air conditioning or ‘dress down’ on hotter days if possible.

2. Remember more vulnerable workers

Some members of staff may be more affected by hot weather, such as those with a disability or pregnant women.

You can help by allowing these employees to take more breaks, move to cooler areas or even work from home temporarily.

3. Prepare for transport disruption

Hot weather can cause issues in the daily commute and you should try to be more understanding if staff are late for work. For example, trains may go slower to prevent tracks from buckling.

Employees should also be encouraged to plan ahead of their journeys and make allowances for delays.

4. Be ready for holiday requests

Everyone can’t be off at once and leave requests are likely to overlap, for instance during the school summer holidays.

It is a good idea to have a first-come, first-served system in place. That way, you can help to avoid one employee being prioritised over another.

5. Look out for unauthorised time off

Employees who are refused a holiday request may take the time off anyway. Alternatively, you may suspect a member of staff is ‘pulling a sickie’.

It is important not to jump to conclusions and conduct a full investigation into the absence. From here, it may become a disciplinary issue.

6. Check on your homeworkers

You aren’t expected to install air conditioning in your employees’ homes, but they should have the same rights as those working in the office. For example, more vulnerable staff should take more breaks, even when working remotely.

July furlough changes – what you need to know

A brief reminder of the changes to the structure of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough scheme) from 1st July 2021.

By designating employees as “furloughed”, organisations have been able to recover a portion of employee wage costs up to a £2,500 cap. As confirmed by the Government Budget delivered on 3rd March 2021, the scheme will continue to operate until the end of September 2021 with some adjustment to funding levels from July 2021.

Until the end of June 2021, the grant was 80% to a maximum of £2,500 per employee per month for hours unworked. Employees on full furlough (not working any hours at all), got 80% of their wages per month unless their employer decides to top it up to 100%. Where an employee is on flexible furlough (working only some hours), they were paid in full by their employer for the hours they work and the grant will cover 80% of pay for their unworked hours only, subject to a cap which will be less than £2500.

Now into July, for 1st July 2021, the Government’s grant will reduce to 70% of furloughed employees’ wage costs for their unworked hours at a cap of £2,187.50. Pay for furloughed employees must remain at a minimum of 80% at a cap of £2,500 which means that organisations must contribute 10% up to £312.50 from their own pocket. Further changes continue into August.

From 1st August 2021 until the scheme ends, the Government’s grant will reduce a final time to 60% of furloughed employees’ wages for their unworked hours at a cap of £1,875. With the 80% rule still intact, organisations will need to contribute 20% to staff wages up to £625. Therefore, from July through to the end of September, organisations will have to cover a portion of the employee’s actual wages, as well as the national insurance and pension contributions.

The furlough scheme has been somewhat of a saving grace for a lot of organisations whilst lockdown restrictions have been in place. As these restrictions are slowly eased, based on coronavirus data, organisations may find that they no longer need to make use of the scheme, or it may be that flexible furlough takes centre stage. Either way, organisations will need to consider how they can accommodate the upcoming changes with redundancy as a last resort.