Business groups cautiously welcome easing of workplace restrictions
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Boris Johnson has announced that employers will be given “more discretion” to decide whether to bring staff back to workplaces after the coronavirus lockdown.
From 1 August, firms will be able to ask staff to come back if it is safe to do so.
“If employees think it would be better and more productive to come into the office and if they can work in a Covid-secure way in the office then there should be discussions between employers and employees and they should take a decision”, the Prime Minister said.
Business groups cautiously welcomed the announcement, but said there was much that was still be resolved for companies.
Firms need ‘crystal clear guidance’
Adam Marshall, director general of British Chambers of Commerce, said that to take such decisions businesses needed “crystal clear guidance”.
“Firms will be weighing up how they want to work in future. Many have seen benefits to productivity and work-life balance over recent months, and will want to keep elements of their new normal”, he added.
“For many employees, returning to the workplace is contingent on schools reopening, the availability of wraparound care and the capacity of public transport.
“Businesses should be able to offset the investments they make to ensure their premises are Covid-secure against their tax bill, which would help many to return to workplaces over the coming months.”
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‘Significant caution’ remains
The IoD’s policy director Edwin Morgan said that while firms would welcome the advance warning, many were still feeling “significant caution”.
“Directors need to balance the risks, and won’t want to increase the possibility of closures down the line by rushing back.
“On top of this, not everything is in a company’s control. Childcare is an issue for many employees, and even if the guidance is changed, some staff who use public transport will still be concerned”, he added.
Morgan suggested that it not clear that there was a desire to return to the “previous normal” for workers.
‘Strong coordination’ essential
The chief executive of business group London First Jasmine Whitbread said that the conflicting advice from Johnson and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance would be a concern for some businesses.
Yesterday Vallance said that he could see no reason to change the current working from home advice.
“Employers would like to be able to encourage those who want to return to the office to do so as soon as they are ready, with all the social and economic benefits that brings”, Whitbread said.
“However there must be strong coordination between businesses and government and clear, consistent communication from central and local government before 1 August on what a managed return to public transport looks like”, she added.
Khan: Government ‘passing the buck’
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan hit out at the announcement, however, saying that the government was “passing the buck” to companies.
“Understandably, Londoners may feel unsure of what to do next after continued mixed messages and confused communications from the Government.
“It is important that we get our country and economy moving again, but this can only happen if people continue to follow the guidance and the virus is kept under control.
“Rather than passing the buck to employers, the Government must get a grip on the virus so people have the confidence to go out and about and to return to their workplaces when it is safe to do so”.
Khan asked Londoners not to return to work until it was safe to do so, and to try to avoid public transport.