As you may know, the easing of restrictions in England has led to thousands of people being notified by the NHS test and trace app to self-isolate for 10 days ...
The pingdemic has caused unexpected periods of self-isolation by employees!
This has had adverse effects on a number of my client's businesses due to staff shortages and so gaining more clarity on the situation and when it's going to end would be useful for them.
"I thought you may like some additional information!"
Managing an unexpected period of self-isolation by one of your employees can be gruelling, but you may be able to get around this by allowing staff to work from home during this time if possible.
Another option is to consider hiring temporary workers or asking the remaining workforce to split their colleagues' workload between them. They may also wish to consider whether their staff are eligible to be exempt from self-isolation under the Government's new rules.
The new rules highlight that, "... a limited number of named workers may be able to leave self-isolation under specific controls for the purpose of undertaking critical work only."
This process is only intended to run until the 16th of August 2021, when fully vaccinated close contacts will be exempt from self-isolation. If you believe the self-isolation of certain key employees would result in serious disruption to critical services, you should contact the relevant government department.
The sectors to which the new rules apply are:
energy
civil nuclear
digital infrastructure
food production and supply
waste
water
veterinary medicines
essential chemicals
essential transport
medicines
medical devices
clinical consumable supplies
emergency services
border control
essential defence outputs
local government
In some exceptional cases, there may be critical roles in sectors not listed above which meet the criteria. These will be agreed on a case-by-case basis.
The Government makes it clear that this policy applies to named workers in specifically approved workplaces who are fully vaccinated (defined as someone who is 14-days post-final dose) and who have been identified as close contacts.
Permission to attend work is, it emphasises, contingent on following certain controls, agreed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), to mitigate the risk of increased infection.
Thankfully, these requirements will no longer apply after the 16th of August.
Until next time ...
ROGER EDDOWES Business Godparent
Would you like to know more?
If anything I've written in this blog post resonates with you and you'd like to discover more, it may be a great idea to give me a call on 01908 774320 and let's see how I can help you.
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Roger trained at Edward Thomas Peirson & Sons in Market Harborough before working at Hartwell & Co, followed by Chancery, as a partner. He started Essendon Accounts and Tax with Helen Beaumont in 2014 as a general practitioner with a hands-on approach.
Roger loves getting his hands dirty, working with emerging, small-to-medium and family businesses to ensure they receive the best possible accountancy advice. Roger utilises an extensive network of business contacts to leverage the best guidance and practical solutions.
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