Returning to the office and employee reservations

More and more businesses are reviewing their working arrangements for employees, and we have seen a combination of full returns to the office, hybrid models and office closures with the transition to remote working.

So, what is your company planning?

Whatever the arrangements being considered, there are likely to be some concerns raised from employees about how they are feeling and we can offer some key advice about how to stay safe when handling those concerns.

If an employee is refusing to return to the office:

• Discuss the concerns being raised with the employee as soon as possible and understand the reasons they are giving
• If the concerns are health related, refer to Occupational Health or get medical advice to understand any reasonable adjustments that might need to be considered – do a risk assessment with your employee to fully understand what might be possible
• If the reasons link to other concerns that are not to do with health, consider if flexible working is an option and ask the employee to submit a request for review.
• Make sure your covid safe measures in the office are risk assessed and up to date with government guidance and that the office environment is secure for employees to return
• Check the employee’s place of work clause in their contract and if it states their permanent place of work is the office, then you can instruct the employee to attend the office once you have done all of the above
• If the employee fails to comply, you may need to consider whether disciplinary action is appropriate

If you find yourself with a difficult situation and need some help and advice with anything relating to HR please don’t hesitate to contact us here or call us on 03333 660 567.