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Firms and staff urged to air concerns over a return to work

Employers and staff are being given the chance to air their concerns about returning to the workplace after the Covid-19 lockdown to one of the region’s leading employment lawyers.

The Government has now given employers discretion to make a decision on whether they wish their workforce to continue working from home, or if they would prefer them to come into the workplace - prompting a potential rise in disputes during discussions on a return to work surroundings.

As a result, Tina Chander, Head of Employment Law at Midlands-based law firm Wright Hassall, is launching a monthly ‘Q&A’ video session on LinkedIn where she will answer questions posted on Wright Hassall’s LinkedIn page from employers and staff who are in need of advice in relation to their employment rights and how to resolve an issue relating to working in a post-Covid world.

Tina said: “Covid-19 has understandably shaken many people’s confidence in returning to how life was beforehand - including going back to the workplace - which will inevitably fuel workplace disputes that can be very difficult for the majority of businesses to resolve in the knowledge that they are acting lawfully.

“That is why I am launching this free Q&A session so that employers and staff alike can seek guidance on the next steps to take to resolve their particular issue.

“Questions we have had so far touch on what should employers do if their staff insist on working from home, how redundancy processes should be executed for staff currently on furlough, and what health and safety measures need to be followed by an employer regardless of whether the employee is now working from home or in the work place.

“Equally, we have also had individuals with a doctor’s note asking us about their rights on being able to work from home even when their employer is pushing for them for a physical return to work, while another is seeking clarification on whether their employer followed the correct process when they were made redundant.

“These questions are the tip of the iceberg of what I will be going into during my video sessions, which I am hoping can help employers and staff alike to navigate these uncertain and challenging times.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .