Various ways employees can be supported if needing to take care of children sent home from school.
Most children in the United Kingdom have now returned to school, for the first time since they were closed when the country went into lockdown in March.
Schools have made adjustments in how they will operate in order to reduce the need for a whole school closure in the event of a Coronavirus outbreak. However, within days there has been news of year groups being sent home where a child or teacher has been tested positive for Covid-19 within the child's bubble.
The size of bubbles varies from school to school and while at some schools it is restricted to just one class, at others there are entire school year groups and with some primary schools incorporating 2 year groups.
If an employee's child's bubble is affected then the child needs to self-isolate at home for 14 days, if, whilst in isolation, the child develops symptoms then the employee's whole family should isolate and get a Covid test.
For employers and employees, the challenge remains as what happens when children are unable to attend school in this situation? It’s important for everyone to remain flexible as children may be sent home with little or no notice; employers will need to be relaxed about how they implement their policies around time off for dependents.
Employees are able to take time off for dependents, which is unpaid, but this time off is to arrange alternative child care so the employee could return to work whilst their dependent is off school. Obviously if the child has been instructed to self-isolate it will not be possible to arrange alternative child care and the responsibility will lie with the parent or guardian to remain at home.
Alternative options to bear in mind are working from home or a further period of furlough, if the employee had been furloughed previously and are eligible to be furloughed. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has changed which means the employers are liable for some of the associated costs and the scheme will end on 31st October 2020.
Parental Leave is another option where parents who have the qualified length of service can request unpaid time off in blocks of 1 week up to a maximum of 18 weeks per year.
Where it is not possible to furlough the employee or work from home, the employee can request to take annual leave if they have sufficient leave to take.
As we have come to realise since March, there isn't a "one size fits all" solution, however, being supportive and adaptable for your employees to find a solution that works for all of you will ensure that your employees feel supported and, therefore, increase their loyalty and productivity.
As always, Lunar HR offer human resource support and guidance to you and your employees, if you do need any help or guidance please do not hesitate to contact us.
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