Amica HR: Keep talking to each other!

“We have been receiving many enquiries from clients about the best ways of managing staff working at home, which is a real opportunity for them to support the containment of the virus and also protect workers who fall into the vulnerable category or who are pregnant.

“It is the employers who are responsible for setting the parameters for people working from home, whereas self-isolation is where people who show symptoms of Coronavirus cut themselves off entirely and follow Government advice for non-essential contact.

David said Amica HR is urging clients to ensure their workers feel that their bosses keep talking to them and that they also feel confident that their non-attendance in their normal place of work is not being policed.

Fellow director Suzanne Tricker said: “Businesses could organise a daily team “dial in” or video call to talk about tasks for that day and set parameters around performance. This will help employees to feel that they are being productive.

“We also advise encouraging colleagues to call one another. People can also be  reminded of any Employee Assistance Programmes or Mental Health Support that might be available.”

Amica HR is encouraging clients to reach out to them so that it can support unsure employers by creating programmes to guide them in the right direction.

Employers are also advised to keep in touch with self-isolating staff on a daily basis, to check how they are feeling physically and mentally.

“We have also been asked how an employer should deal with the situation if a person says they cannot attend work because the colleague they rely on to drive them to work is self-isolating,” said Suzanne.

“The employer should firstly ask if they have been in close contact with the person who is self-isolating. If so, they might need to do the same.  If not, and they have no means of performing their duties at home, their leave would be unpaid.”