I have been a good employer this year, but I am not asking for much this year, because quite frankly I just want to forget about 2020. I do however have high hopes for 2021 so I am asking for a bit of reindeer sparkle dust to get me through the HR challenges.
So you can understand, I have jotted down a few, whilst indulging in a baileys and mince pie:
Working from Home: The team have adjusted well to working from home but miss the collaboration and the company of their colleagues. We can’t afford the rental costs to have an office big enough for everyone to social distance, that may only be used for dropping in or meeting clients. Working from home permanently is not our preference. It’s a dilemma.
Furlough: It’s been a life line Santa, but the government are reviewing the scheme in January and we may then need to contribute to the employees’ wages. We are planning different scenarios for when the scheme ends. Costing redundancies, considering further short time working, looking at diversifying. We have held off with redundancies but I fear that this may be needed when furlough ends.
Employment Law change: Santa, this is an area that keeps me awake. I struggle to keep up and I’m worried that I miss something;
-A new immigration scheme from 1st January means that there will be a new points-based system. EEA nationals arriving in the UK from 1st January will need to comply with the same visa requirements as other non-UK nationals. I need to work out how this affects our recruitment and consider if we need to apply for a sponsor licence.
-National minimum wage rates increase from 1st April 2021 although we don’t know yet what the increase is. It’s also a possibility that the national living wage is due to reduce from 25 to 23 years old from 1st April 2021. This needs to be confirmed.
Its all going to add to our overheads. We need to look at our pay structure as the gap is closing with higher paid staff due to NMW increases. We are going to review even if we can’t necessarily make any increases just now. Now Santa, if that isn’t enough, word on the street is that there are more changes that are yet to be given implementation dates;
-Extended redundancy protection for new parents (protection will continue for six months after they return).
-An increase in continuous employment break from one week to four weeks.
-Workers able to request a more stable contract after 26 weeks’ service (we use zero hour contracts so that’s one for my radar).
-Extension of shared parental leave to grandparents, we have an older workforce so this could really impact.
Just the thought of this has made me pour another Baileys and eat my third mince pie. So Santa, all I ask for Christmas 2020 is a little magic reindeer sparkle dust to support me through 2021 and help my business recover.
